Back to school: No cohorts, 'near normal' return to class for B.C. students in the fall
Before classes wrap up for the summer, B.C.'s top doctor and education minister unveiled the province's back-to-school plan for the fall, which they said would be a return to "near normal."
Dr. Bonnie Henry and Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside announced the plan at a news conference Thursday morning.
"There's no question it was a difficult year," Whiteside said Thursday, reflecting on the past several months.
By September, Whiteside said officials are expecting all students will be back in the classroom for full-time, in-person instruction in the fall.
"Based on guidance from the office of the provincial health officer, students will no longer be group into cohorts or learning groups," Whiteside announced.
"Pending further public health guidance, it's also expected that current restrictions on gatherings, extracurricular activities and sports will be relaxed in time for the new school year and that's good news for everyone."
Whiteside said guidance on mask-wearing in schools will be confirmed later in the summer and "will align with broader provincial direction."
Daily health checks will still likely be required, however, and students and staff will need to stay home when sick.
"We are now in a time of transition where we can safely restart and get some of those important social connections back together," Henry said, crediting vaccination rates for the province's falling daily case counts.
"Our goal in particular for our schools is to get to the point where we can take the same approach that we do with other communicable diseases whether it's influenza or measles where we can manage them on a local basis, on an individual basis without having those broad impacts on society."
In announcing the plan, officials also said the province is giving $43.6 million to support ongoing health-and-safety measures, First Nations and Métis students, mental health services and rapid response teams.
Of that, $25.6 million will be pandemic-specific funding.
Schools are currently scheduled to reopen Sept. 7, the day after Labour Day. That day marks the earliest B.C. could enter Step 4 of its restart plan.
As of Thursday, more than 50 per cent of students aged 12 to 17 have already received one COVID-19 vaccine dose. By September, the province expects all eligible British Columbians will have been offered two doses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.