Alberta's Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange (Government of Alberta)

By Justin Goulet

Masks to be mandatory for grades four to 12, all school staff when classes return this fall

Aug 4, 2020 | 9:32 AM

EDMONTON, AB – School operations will look a lot different this fall.

The provincial government has released the latest details of its back-to-school plan for the 2020-2021 year, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July, the province announced that schools would be returning to “near-normal” operations in September. More details on that can be found here.

A main health measure announced Tuesday is that mask use for grade four to 12 students, as well as all school staff in public, separate, Francophone, charter and independent schools, will be mandatory.

More than 1.6 million masks will be given to 740,000 students and 90,000 staff across Alberta, with each learner receiving two reusable masks each.

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School staff, including teachers, support staff and bus drivers will also receive two reusable masks. If needed, additional single-use masks will be available at schools.

Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said staff will be required to wear masks in all settings where physical distancing cannot be maintained, and students will have to wear the face coverings in all shared and common areas, such as hallways and on school buses.

Masks will not be mandatory when students are sitting in class and proper physical distancing measures are being respected.

Exemptions will be made for students and staff who cannot wear a mask because of medical reasons or other needs.

“To be clear, masks are not required inside the classroom when students are seated and the teacher is distanced from the students, though they can still be worn if a student or teacher chooses,” explained Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.

“However, they are required in hallways and any shared places where students, staff or teachers may nit be able to maintain the recommended physical distancing requirements. This is similar to the approach being adopted in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.”

LaGrange added that mask use for students in kindergarten to grade three will be optional.

“This is because mask use for younger children is a challenge due to difficulties with proper fit and compliance,” she said.

“Additionally, current medical evidence indicates that children under 10 may be less likely than older children or adults to transmit COVID-19.”

FACE SHIELDS AND OTHER SAFETY MEASURES

School staff will receive one reusable face shield to use at their discretion. Shields reduce exposure, but a mask must still be worn while wearing a face shield.

LaGrange said 53,000 of these shields will be provided from a donation by The Canadian Shield, with the remaining from the Government of Alberta.

It was also announced on Tuesday that about 466,000 litres of hand sanitizer will be distributed across all school authorities in Alberta.

The specific amount allocated to each school authority will be based on student population.

Each school will receive two contactless thermometers. Use of these will be at a school authority’s discretion. All of these supplies will be distributed before the start of the 2020-2021 school year.

TESTING OF STAFF

LaGrange said to help reduce absences, her department will work with Alberta Health to explore the possibility of expanding testing capacity and reduced turnaround times for testing school staff, teachers and students.

The news conference with Minister Adriana LaGrange and Dr. Deena Hinshaw can be seen below.