Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley. (Alberta NDP)

By Canadian Press / rdnewsNOW

NDP presents plan to make schools safer amid rapid Omicron spread

Jan 5, 2022 | 7:54 AM

EDMONTON, AB – Alberta’s Opposition NDP is calling on the province to provide better COVID-19 supports for students when they return to class.

NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman says Premier Jason Kenney’s government must provide more information on infection rates so school staff have a better idea of what they’re facing.

Hoffman also says the more effective N-95 masks must also be made available to staff and students, along with greater public reporting, new mental health supports and increased focus on mitigating airborne spread of COVID-19 by installing High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) purifiers and monitoring airflow through the use of carbon-dioxide detectors.

The NDP’s six point plan is said to include:

1. Public reporting of the infection and absentee rate of school staff, providing Albertans with a picture as to whether schools will be forced to close again due to a lack of staff.
2. Immediate funding to move substitute teachers onto contract for the remainder of the school year to help backfill staffing levels and to hire additional substitute teachers where possible.
3. Provide N95 masks for staff and students. Medical professionals continue to point out that N95 masks offer the best protection against airborne spread of COVID-19.
4. Install HEPA filters—or High Efficiency Particulate Air filters—in schools to reduce the risk in confined spaces, as well as carbon dioxide detectors to measure how effectively a school’s ventilation system is refreshing the air in a classroom.
5. Hire mental health counsellors for every Alberta school to support students dealing with stress, isolation, and uncertainty that impacts their learning.
6. Create an Alberta Learn-at-Home fund to support families when their kids are forced to stay home. The fund would provide $500 per student and $750 per student with complex needs.

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On Monday, the NDP called on the UCP to release an AHS forecast of Omicron’s impact on Alberta’s hospitals.

“I am calling on Jason Kenney and the UCP to tell the truth to Albertans about the threat to our hospitals and everyone who relies on them,” said NDP Leader Rachel Notley, on Monday. “We know that AHS maintains a daily two-week forecast for hospital admissions. We’ve seen this document many times throughout the pandemic. Today’s version of that document is sitting on a government computer right now.

“Jason Kenney and the UCP know what the threat to Alberta hospitals looks like and they must tell Albertans the truth.”

Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announced last week that in-person classes for kindergarten to Grade 12 students would be delayed until Jan. 10.

She said the longer break would allow school authorities to plan for a successful startup.

Kenney and Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, will provide an update on COVID-19 cases later today.

(With files from rdnewsNOW)