Rally pushes province to improve school safety

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This article was published 26/08/2020 (1485 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Over 110 people, young and old, all of whom were masked, gathered at the Manitoba Legislative Building Thursday evening to call for a revamp of the province’s back-to-school plan.

Safe September MB, an activist group that began earlier this month, held a rally to raise awareness for changes they’d like made before kids re-enter classrooms. The non-partisan group wants smaller class sizes, ensured two-metre distancing within classrooms, the option for students to access public school learning remotely, and improved ventilation in schools, among other requests. Teachers, parents, recent high school graduates and an occupational hygienist spoke at the event.

The federal government has offered Manitoba $85.4 million in funding to reopen schools safely. However, it’s unclear how the money will be spent.

“I think that it’s great we’re seeing more funding. We’re interested to see where it goes,” said Krystal Payne, one of Safe September MB’s organizers.

Payne has an eight-year-old daughter who’s been medically advised to not go to school this fall. That’s because Payne and her daughter live with Payne’s father, who’s at high risk of complications if he catches COVID-19. Payne sent a doctor’s note to her daughter’s school division but hasn’t heard if her child will be eligible for distance learning.

Payne said she’s lucky she can homeschool her daughter, though she’d prefer instruction from a trained teacher. She said other families are not able to homeschool their kids, but they’re at risk by sending their kids to class.

Apollo Miao, who graduated from Maples Collegiate in June, spoke at the rally to say he agrees with Safe September MB’s requests. Miao’s sister will start Grade 10 at the large high school, and Miao and his family worry an outbreak in class could lead to mass numbers of people getting the novel coronavirus.

“I don’t think there’s been enough precautions,” he said.

A spokesperson for Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen pointed to the province’s Safe Schools funding announcement on Monday as a sign that the government prioritizes safety in classrooms.

“Our government believes that the health and safety of Manitoba students is the highest priority as we prepare for a return to school,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “That’s why on Monday we announced $100 million in Safe Schools funding. The province will continue to work closely with school divisions to identify their specific needs and how best to address them so that we can deliver a safe, healthy learning environment for students and staff.”

Lauren Hope, the MC at Thursday’s rally, gave Minister Goertzen an “F” on the back-to-school plan.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont attended the rally. He had three requests for the government: give school divisions the option of postponing their start date, allow students to access public school education remotely, and have some type of pay for parents and kids that need to self-isolate and stay home.

“There’s a huge amount of planning that’s been left too late by the province,” Lamont said.

Manitoba unveiled a back-to-school plan in July. Students in kindergarten through Grade 8 are expected to return to classrooms full-time beginning Sept. 8. High schoolers will have blended learning if the school can’t accommodate physical distancing. Only students who are immunocompromised will be able to access public school-run distance learning; students who need to self-isolate will receive at-home work from teachers.

Safe September MB posted a petition online outlining their requests for a changed plan. It’s gotten over 16,000 signatures in two weeks.

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca