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
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.