Calgary school districts taking extra steps to ensure safety

With COVID-19 cases continuing to surge, school districts in Calgary are taking matters into their own hands to help keep students and staff safe.

While the province is providing masks and rapid test kits, there is some criticism over the speed of sending out these supplies as well as some questions over how much this will help slow the spread of COVID-19 in classrooms.

Currently, there are already many problems with absentee rates only a of couple weeks after students returned from the extended winter break.

In the Calgary Catholic School District, 106 out of 117 schools are reporting a 10 per cent or greater student absentee rate. There are also approximately 125 staff on public health leave, with substitute teachers able to cover 80 to 85 per cent of these positions, while remaining positions are covered by other staff internally.

Plans are also in place to put students into online learning if the absentee rate grows. In a letter sent to parents, the district said parents should be ready for their child to go to online learning for 10 days if the absentee rate in their class reaches 25 per cent. Two classes have transitioned to online learning so far.

This number only applies for students who are out sick, and not related to those who are absent for non-medical reasons.

The public Calgary Board of Education (CBE) also reported similar problems soon after kids returned to the classroom.

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In an update provided to CityNews on Monday, the CBE said they had 1,178 jobs that required substitute teachers or casual employees. Only 63 per cent of teaching jobs were filled, while 82 per cent of support staff positions were filled for the day.

Not all of the absences for staff are due to illness, however, as the board noted they could be vacant for numerous reasons. Internal staff may also cover some of the vacant positions rather than taking in a substitute from outside.

On this past Friday, just over seven per cent of K-12 students were absent due to illness.

In the time since school resumed this month, 15 schools have seen one or more class transition to online learning. A total of nine schools currently have classes online.

Dr. Gordon Townsend School, which is based at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, is the only CBE school to be fully online at the moment.

While all adult and child-sized masks have been obtained from the province, there is still a delay in handing them out to students and staff. In addition, the board has received all rapid test kits from the province, but they will not be distributed until sometime during the week.

To assist with masking, the separate school district and the CBE are both in the process of procuring higher-quality N95 masks. The Catholic district says they are still in the process of buying and then eventually distributing the masks to staff.

School boards are getting credit for pulling extra weight on this file, but there’s a sense that they shouldn’t be left to bear this load.

“I think it’s great that school boards are taking this extra step, because what we know that was put out by the government was really the bare minimum,” said Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association. “School boards have this ability to go above and beyond that bare minimum, and I’m encouraged to see them do that and would encourage them to go even further.”

Schilling said they could address challenges with finding substitute teachers by giving out contracts that ensure better health benefits for them, as well as taking extra measures like improving air filtration.

He added they could ease strain on staff and students alike by delaying standardized tests or making them optional, rather than holding them at the end of the month as is planned.

At the moment it can be quite exhausting, especially with staff moving around and trying to cover for teachers who cannot come in.

“It’s hugely stressful,” he said. “Teachers are scrambling to cover other teachers’ classes, and principals and administrators who are trying to divide up masks and get out rapid tests to everybody in the building are suddenly covering people’s classes as well. Or they’re doubling up students in a class, which I don’t think is something anybody wants to do.”

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Read more:

• For some Canadian students, school disruptions have become routine

• Staffing challenges force some classes to switch to online learning

• Some schools in Alberta and B.C. see slightly higher-than-usual absent rates

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The opposition NDP is also being hugely critical, and says the province is falling short.

“The UCP’s response to this has been grossly inadequate,” said education critic Sarah Hoffman.

Hoffman said the addition of an e-tutoring hub is not enough, as it only includes a small number of videos for students who need to catch up after missing time. She said the rollout of masks and rapid tests is too slow and called on the government to follow through on recommendations they have had such as giving out N95 masks and improving air filtration.

Hoffman also cited one example in Calgary, where a growing number of elementary students at Tuscany School have been out sick.

“The school of 500 students normally has an absentee rate of three to five per cent. Last week, that rate soared to 15 per cent. That’s 65 to 75 students away each day.”

Hoffman also gives credit to the boards for coming forward with additional plans, but this is work that should be done by the provincial government instead.