Students, parents raise concerns after province pivots on school rules

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This article was published 10/02/2022 (1050 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One month after stricter public-health protocols were introduced in kindergarten to Grade-12 buildings to address the rampant spread of COVID-19’s Omicron variant, the province is loosening them.

As of Tuesday, classrooms across the province will revert to yellow-caution on the pandemic response scale.

The recent emphasis on reorganizing classrooms to allow for physical distancing of two metres between staff and students is being relaxed as the province prepares to dial back widespread restrictions related to masking and immunization across society in the coming weeks.

Cohorting among elementary learners will continue into next week, but under new health orders announced Friday, face coverings will be optional during phys-ed classes, students will be able to participate in school sports without proof of vaccination or frequent testing and education workers won’t be required to wear medical-quality masks, although they are recommended.

“The important thing is we’re not changing the mask requirement for the classroom space (completely), either for the teacher or the student,” said James Bedford, president of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society. “There’s a real need to remain vigilant within schools.”

The latest changes also mean children, school staff and child-care workers will no longer be able to access a molecular PCR test if they show positive on a rapid antigen screen — unless they are medically advised to get one.

Grade 12 student Brie Villeneuve returned to in-person learning at Grant Park High School for the first time in 2022 earlier this week, not wanting to fall behind as a new semester gets underway. As far as the 18-year-old is concerned, existing protocols in schools, which went into effect Jan. 17, are insufficient.

“A lot of students are really scared right now and that is not a position that we should be in. We shouldn’t have to be fearing for our health and our families’ health, just because our provincial government doesn’t want to implement safety measures in schools and outside,” said Villeneuve, an organizer with MB Students for COVID Safety.

The student collective organized simultaneous walkouts across Manitoba K-12 buildings last month to call for a universal online learning option, mandatory medical masks and widespread distribution of N95 masks and rapid tests for students and the reintroduction of contact tracing in schools.

“We’re still on the fence on the fact that they’re just dropping everything so fast,” said Leigh Phillips, a father in Winnipeg who has a son in Grade 5.

Phillips said Friday he is relieved his eldest child has now received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, but he is still concerned about the mass rollback of restrictions, given he has an infant and his school-aged son is immunocompromised as a result of cystic fibrosis.

Phillips who said his family plans to continue wearing masks and reducing contacts, is confused as to why students will no longer have to wear face coverings in phys-ed, when they’re likely to be huffing and puffing from physical exertion.

“I’m really hoping that (my son’s) school keeps doing what they’ve been doing,” said Phillips, noting administrators have continued to inform the community after every positive virus test result they’ve received alerts about — even though the province stopped requiring them to do so.

“They’ve been very good at easing parents’ (anxieties).”

School administrators have been directed to continue updating their communities if public-health officials have identified increased transmission or recommended remote learning for a cohort, class or school.

maggie macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie