Alberta Premier Daniel Smith is defending new rules ordering schools to provide in-person tutoring during the current wave of viral illnesses, saying a clear, measured response is critical for students and parents.
“We need a normal school environment for our children and we need to make sure classrooms stay open so we can support our parents,” Smith said at a news conference in Medicine Hat on Friday.
“That’s why we made the decision we did — to give that clear direction.”
Her comments came a day after she announced regulatory changes requiring school boards to provide in-person tutoring. Schools also cannot require students to wear masks to school or be forced to attend classes online.
Changes take effect immediately.
“Everyone is welcome to wear a mask if they feel it is the right choice for them, but we should not force parents to mask their children and we should not deny education to children who show up without a mask,” Smith said.
She said mask-wearing rules and the shift from online to in-person learning have adversely affected students’ mental health, development and education during the COVID-19 pandemic and strained parents struggling to arrange childcare. when schools are closed.
That’s over, Smith said.
“We’re just not going to normalize these kinds of extreme measures every single respiratory virus season,” she said.
School boards have asked for more guidance as a number of seasonal respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses, along with some cases of COVID-19, have led to high levels of class absences and overwhelmed children’s hospitals.
In Edmonton, Tricia Estabrooks, chair of the Edmonton Public Schools board, said the decision provides the clarity the board is looking for.
“All Albertans now understand that it is not within the jurisdiction, nor should it have been within the jurisdiction of individual school boards, to make decisions that belong to health officials,” Estabrooks said.
She said the province has made it clear that any future public health order will supersede the new rules.
The change in attendance applies to grades 1 through 12 in all school settings, including public, separate, francophone, public charter and independent schools.
Sandra Palazzo, chair of the Edmonton Catholic Schools board, echoed Estabrooks, saying school divisions now have more clarity.
“We also really appreciate that we continue to have those opportunities to have discussions with the ministry if extenuating circumstances arise,” she said.
“And [we’re] I am also satisfied that the Public Health Act will take precedence over the Education Act if there is reason to take stronger measures.”
The masking change applies to the same grades and schools, but also to early childhood services.
The opposition NDP criticized the new rules, saying it was unrealistic for schools to be forced to be all things to all students while dealing with a wave of viral illnesses and not providing additional support to do so.
Jason Schilling, head of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, said the government needs to work with school boards to figure out how to make it work.
“You have schools struggling with building staff, [they] can’t find substitute teachers, teachers are sick, covering each other’s classes, principals covering classes,” Schilling said in an interview.
“And then let’s say if you go online, you still have to offer the same programming in person — we just don’t have the people to do that.”
Wing Lee, director of communications for the public education advocacy organization Support our Students, said it would be difficult for schools to offer hybrid learning without any additional resources.
“There are no teachers,” Li said in an interview. “The return online is mostly due to staff shortages, which is worse after three years.”
Li said online learning is challenging for students, but when it is temporary and supported, it can protect schools and communities from the spread of disease.
“It’s a pretty aggressive use of the Education Act to entrench an ideology,” she said.
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