Parent reaction to Saskatchewan Safe Schools Plan runs the gamut of emotions

Some parents are worried and upset, while others have no choice but to send their children back to school.

Others aren’t at all concerned about the province’s plans to get kids back into the classroom Sept. 1.

On Tuesday, guidelines were released by the province, along with some contingency provisions, while individual school divisions also released their plans.

But for many parents, it’s simply not good enough. Some, like Sarah Powell, have taken to social media to express their outrage.

“…This plan doesn’t keep ANYONE safe,” she wrote on the Facebook page ‘Saskatoon Moms Social Distancing.’

Bryce Lutze, who has three children, ages 11, seven and five, wondered why masks have been recommended in closed spaces where physical distancing isn’t possible, yet it wasn’t mandated for children and teens who would be in close quarters many hours a day.

“I find it funny how you don’t need masks in school, but I need a mask to go into stores and everywhere else around the city. That’s my opinion around that …,” he said. “It seems like it’s not thought through properly and they could have put more planning around it.”

His children will go back to school because he feels socialization is important, but he’s not entirely comfortable with it.

“It is what it is,” he said. “It’s silly that COVID’s such a big deal, and all of a sudden now going back to school it seems it doesn’t even matter. That’s what I’ve taken away from all of this.”

Joel Driedger is a teacher and administrator and says he is expected back in the classroom.

Both he and his wife have full-time jobs, so they have no other option but to send their children back. He says more funding for safety equipment like PPE (personal protective equipment), along with giving parents more details on exact safety protocol levels and what triggers them, is necessary.

“It would be great to see a little more leadership on their (government’s) part with regards to more information about what’s going on so that individual families can make choices that work for them,” he said. “Right now, there’s this broad, vague plan that parents and teachers and anyone involved in education really have no information to make decisions that are meaningful to them.”

He’s worried about cramped quarters for kids and how to manage the interaction between them.

“We want to make sure we’re sending them back somewhere safe, where we can feel comfortable with the decision-making,” he said.

Driedger hopes all school divisions have more specific details they can share with parents on an ongoing basis.

But mother of four Alyson Schira doesn’t believe there’s too much cause for concern and is happy with the “wait and see” approach. She has children in grades 2, 5, and 7, while the eldest is in Grade 10.

“I think for our kids, while still maintaining safety protocols, trying to keep things as normal as possible is really going to be the key to their success long term,” Schira said.

“Whether or not things pick up and we end up having to either go back to online learning or maybe instill some more safety measures at school after school has started, I really hope they can try and keep it to where it’s not going to affect the kids as far as the fear. That’s probably the biggest thing that my kids have.”

She believes while safety needs to be kept in mind, there has to be some practicality as well.

“People staying home with their kids isn’t easy, especially if you’ve got two working parents,” she said. “A lot of the economy is shut down. People need to get back to normal, they need to get back to work. And if sending our kids back to school is going to help people do that, it is in the best interest.”