Manitoba students may be returning to school Sept. 8, but how classes will look is still unknown.
After announcing classes would begin Sept. 8 but only on his own personal social media accounts, Manitoba education minister Kelvin Goertzen joked he wouldn鈥檛 make that mistake twice, confirming that Manitoba students will be, pending any changes, back to class Sept. 8.
鈥淲ell, you don鈥檛 want me to put it out on Twitter?鈥� he quipped during a June 25 news conference while speaking about how the province would announce which of the three COVID-19 return plans they would enact. Goertzen announced the province was asking individual school divisions to make three plans for different levels of the virus, ranging from limited in-person interactions, to mostly normal operations.
Goertzen said they would make a decision on which path to move forward by August 1.
No matter which plan the province chooses, changes will be made for schools in the 2020/21 school year to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Bus use will be restricted where possible, interactions out of classrooms will be limited and large assemblies will be discouraged.
Goertzen said the biggest change needs to come from parents - to always keep their kids at home if they are ill - and start planning now for that eventuality. He also asked the parents of kids who normally use the bus to try to drive their kids instead in the fall.
鈥淚 am a parent myself and I know that I have made the mistake in the past of sending my own son to school sometimes when he probably shouldn't have gone,鈥� he said.聽
鈥淲e can't do that during a pandemic and we can't do that anymore.鈥�
Manitoba chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said measures like cohorting students and physical distancing are designed to reduce the risk of a large spread of COVID-19.
鈥淭his virus isn't going away, so we need to expect positive cases,鈥� he said.聽
鈥淲e need to be able to live with this virus... All these measures here are going to limit significant spread within that school or significant number of contacts.鈥�
Roussin added that the usual provincial health contact investigations and close contact self-isolation will take place in schools. Goertzen said elective classes with a higher risk of transmission, like physical education and band, might be avoided at some schools. Directives have been given to some school divisions already saying core subjects are to be prioritized.
鈥淔rom an education perspective, we've said we need to prioritize those core subjects, math, science literacy, - those have to be the priorities,鈥� he said.
鈥淲here schools are having a difficulty with the spacing elements of this, if they need to repurpose additional space within the school, whether that's gymnasium or whether that's a library.鈥�
Competitive high school sporting events could be approved, with Roussin saying the province has worked out guidelines for each individual sport to reduce the risk of transmission.
Manitoba鈥檚 currently low level of COVID-19 has allowed it to be one of three provinces that opened schools for some students in June.
鈥淸A return to classes] is happening in Manitoba because Manitobans have done the right things to make it happen,鈥� Goertzen said.
Neither Goertzen or Roussin made any mention of possible PPE use or allocation for teachers or school staff in the press conference.
