Province says to prioritize keeping B.C. schools open despite Omicron variant, but at least 1 has already had to close

It's only the second day of class this term for most kids in British Columbia, and already at least one school has had to "functionally" close.

Health officials delayed the start of school for most students by one week – an effort meant to buy time for schools and school districts to figure out how they'd stay open in the event that multiple teachers fall ill.

Officials opted for this solution as opposed to delaying the first day back even further, or switching to online learning for a time, as some other provinces have done.

Both the provincial health officer and education minister insisted that schools are among the safest places for children to be, and have repeated multiple times throughout the pandemic that the goal is for schools to remain open, with kids learning in classrooms instead of in front of computers.

So school and district staff were tasked with coming up with plans to keep schools open as much as possible, and to have solutions ready for when they do need to close. For example, they'd need plans on how to continue lessons virtually if enough teachers catch COVID-19 that being at school isn't an option.

They were given a week to get these plans in order, and most students were back in their classrooms on Monday.

Just a day later, at least one school is already facing staffing challenges.

Hazelton Secondary School in Hazelton, B.C., "functionally" closed Tuesday morning, and will remain closed Wednesday, according to the Coast Mountains Board of Education (School District 82). 

The board said the school was closing "due to a shortage of staff and an inability to cover staff shortages to provide the required level to ensure the safety and supervision of our students."

What that meant for parents and students would be relayed directly to them by school administration, the CMSD said.

It was not immediately clear on Tuesday whether the school will reopen on Thursday. The board said it would be "reviewing the workforce availability," and that those affected should monitor its website, or the school's.