While the enhanced cleaning measures from the 2020-2021 school year will still be implemented and students/staff can choose to wear masks if they want, the Pembina Hills School Division will not impose any health measures that exceed provincial guidelines in the 2021-2022 school year.
Pembina Hills trustees discussed whether or not to impose any further health measures — such as requiring mask-wearing in the classroom — during a special meeting on Aug. 19.
Ultimately, they passed a motion that was in line with administration’s recommendation to not impose any further measures beyond what the province has imposed.
Noting that they were educators and not health professionals, Supt. Dave Garbutt said administration had no solid data to support a rationale for imposing additional measures, and while other divisions have chosen to go further, he had not seen anything from those divisions that backed up those decisions.
“I’m making this recommendation because I find we get into trouble when we make decisions based on just personal views,” he said.
Provincial direction
On Aug. 13, the province announced that in-person classes would take place during the 2021-2022 school year and many of the restrictions followed last year would not return.
Students and staff will not be required to wear masks in their schools, but masking will be required for everyone over the age of two while riding the schoolbus until at least Sept. 27, when the province will reassess the COVID-19 situation in Alberta.
As well, all students and staff must check daily to see if they have any of the core symptoms of COVID-19 and must isolate for 10 days from the onset of symptoms or until they receive a negative COVID-19 test result. Like masking on buses, this isolation requirement will also be in place until at least Sept. 27.
The province also announced that vaccines would be made available in schools for students and staff over the age of 12 who had not received both doses yet.
Finally, the province announced that school divisions would have the ability (and corresponding accountability) to put in place additional requirements around physical distancing, cohorting and masking. That’s what prompted the special board meeting on Aug. 19.
After presenting administration’s recommendation not to go above and beyond the province’s requirements, Garbutt stressed that following the province’s direction at this time was not meant to chain the division from changing its approach in the future.
“If (Alberta Health) advised us to take some sort of action, as administration we would do that. And subsequently at the next regular board meeting, we would deal with it.”
He also stressed that students and staff were welcome to wear masks in school if they chose; Pembina Hills will not prohibit anyone from doing so.
Garbutt also confirmed for the trustees that the enhanced cleaning measures Pembina Hills imposed last year, such as bringing in cleaning staff mid-day to do extra disinfecting of surfaces, would still be followed throughout the division.
Much of this information would be contained in a communique that will be sent out to all parents and staff following the Aug. 19 meeting, he noted.
.jpg;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
