Education Minister Adriana LaGrange. (Government of Alberta)

By Chris Brown

Education minister confident students will be back in schools in September

Jun 26, 2020 | 11:50 AM

MEDICINE HAT- Education Minister Adriana LaGrange says the government is confident that students will be back in school in September for near-normal operations with increased health measures in place.

LaGrange made the announcement during a Facebook Live session on Thursday afternoon.

“I know many parents out there are really excited to have their children go back to school, I know teachers are excited to be back in the classroom with their children and I know that children have been missing their friends and their teachers and are looking forward to going back to school,” she said.

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Dr. Deena Hinshaw was also part of the session.

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“At the moment we are hoping for scenario one, planning for that particular scenario having children back in the classroom,” said the province’s chief medical officer of health. “But of course we’ll be watching very closely over the summer on how our COVID trends go and if it seems there is going to be a concern or more spread then we have those scenario two and three options to potentially fall back on if needed.”

A final decision on which of the three scenarios the government will go forward with will come by Aug. 1.

Parents and caregivers have many questions for the government when it comes to returning to school and they were sounding off in the comments.

They include how officials plan to address the complexities for re-entry surrounding students with special needs and how safety would be addressed for these students and caregivers at home and at school.

Proper funding for schools during this time is also a concern, with extra cleaning and PPE’s expected from schools.

Parents said they want their kids to go back to school, as staying home has caused financial strain, mental health struggles, and difficulty ensuring adequate education while at home.

But at the same time, parents also want their kids to enjoy school without the pressure of following many new guidelines, and to let kids be kids.

(CHAT News Today)