Updated August 5, 2020 –
On August 4, 2020, Education Minister LaGrange announced that masks will be required when students and staff return to school this fall.
- All teachers and staff will be required to wear masks in settings where two metres of physical distancing cannot be maintained.
- Students from Grades 4 through 12 will be required to wear masks in all public spaces and can choose to wear them while seated in class.
- Masks will be optional for younger students in Kindergarten through Grade 3.
- If a child begins to show symptoms during the school day, they will be provided with a facemask while they are in the sick room waiting for their parents to pick them up.
This information has also been updated in the Facemasks section below.
On July 21, 2020 the Minister of Education announced that schools will be resuming under the conditions of Scenario 1; “In-school classes resume (near normal with health measures)”.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we operationalize health measures in our schools. Like the province we seek to:
- Prevent the spread of illness
- Respond quickly and efficiently if needed
- Communicate effectively
Our schools’ re-entry plans balance the measures needed to control virus spread and our students’ need for healthy interactions. All plans follow the guidance provided by the government. Getting the right balance will probably need some fine-tuning.
Our strategies focus on Procedures, Habits and Communication, with student and staff safety at the centre.
Examples of Procedures include: cleaning, disinfecting, managing the movement of students, grouping students, seating plans and so on.
- We rely on parents, staff and students to follow the new procedures.
Examples of Habits include: personal hygiene, physical distancing, and respect for other peoples’ health.
- We rely on parents, staff and students to learn new habits.
- The daily health check expected of every parent, student and staff member is the most critical new habit.
Communication must be two-way.
- The division and our schools commit to communicating information efficiently.
- We ask parents to play their part by keeping schools informed about student absences.
A summary of the strategies follows. The specifics about how a school will follow through will be unique from school to school.
*NOTE* Information regarding Transportation of Students has been provided in a separate news update: Busing information for re-entry this fall
Daily Screening for Illness – ALL Students, Parents and Staff
- All parents will be expected to use the Daily Health Check each day prior to sending their children to school. Do not send your child to school if they are sick.
- Please contact the school to inform them of any absences.
- *Note* – watch for information about the SchoolMessenger application that will provide parents and guardians with the ability to notify the school using your digital devices. All Pembina Hills staff must use the Daily Health Check as well.
- Anyone who is sick will not be allowed at school.
- It is important for us to know if your children have pre-existing conditions such as allergies that are similar to the symptoms of COVID-19.
- We consider this baseline information.
- If baseline conditions were to change, or appear without the usual triggers, the students should remain at home until they are symptom free, and have a negative test result for COVID-19.
- Be prepared to provide information to the school regarding your children’s health.