Most B.C. students return to the classroom, but some parents keep kids home
After an extended three week winter break, in-person learning has resumed for B.C.’s 550,000 kindergarten to Grade 12 students – and the vast majority returned to the classroom on Monday.
That includes Taylor Morse's son, who is in kindergarten at Lynn Valley Elementary in North Vancouver.
“I’m a little nervous, but it’s really good for him mentally and socially. He’s excited to go back,” said Morse. “They’re taking all the right precautions, and we generally feel pretty safe."
Principal Lisa Upton is excited to have kids back. “There is no lonelier place on the planet than a school without children in it. We spent last week getting ready for the children’s safe return,” said Upton.
Schools were asked to come up with improved COVID-19 safety measures. Three-layer masks are now available in the office and in classrooms at Lynn Valley Elementary, and class start and end times have been staggered to allow for more distancing.
“Being a mom myself, I want to know that someone cares about my kids, that the layers of protection that have been recommended have been put into place, that attendance levels are being monitored carefully on a daily basis, and that’s absolutely true at Lynn Valley,” said Upton.
The principal hasn’t heard from any parents who don’t feel comfortable sending their kids back to class. “We are fully expecting our students to be at the school today. We missed them, and I know they’ve missed us too,” said Upton.
But some students are being kept at home. Vancouver parent Shaun Kalley’s 15-year-old daughter is one of them.
“We decided as a family that our daughter would stay home, primarily because there is an expanded risk within our family because of people in the hospital, to keep them safe and minimize our exposure and risk to COVID,” said Kalley.
He would consider sending his daughter back to school if there was better ventilation and N95 masks. But he expects the Omicron wave will quickly put an end to in-person learning in B.C.
“I think we are going to see a shut down, probably by the end of this week,” he predicted.
A sudden shift to online learning due to staffing shortages is a concern for the B.C. Teachers' Federation. “That shift could happen quickly. Teachers are being told to bring their equipment, computers home every single day. It's very disconcerting,” said union president Teri Mooring.
B.C is one of a handful of provinces attempting a full return to the classroom this week. Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes are all starting 2022 online.
“Its hard to tell who’s and right and who’s wrong. As far as we are concerned, maybe we are better off in B.C.,” said Wing Wong, who dropped his grandson off for his Grade 1 class at Lynn Valley Elementary. “He’s happy to be back in school for sure, even though it has been delayed for a week.”
Upton is hopeful the layers of protection in place will keep both teachers and students safe, and allow classroom learning to continue.
“One of the things that’s different from September is most of our kids have had their first vaccine. So we are really grateful for that,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.