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At least one major school division will have stricter COVID rules than what the provincial government is recommending.
In a news release Monday morning, Regina Public Schools released some details of its back-to-school plan.
It differs significantly from the Ministry of Health’s recommendations.
For one, every person in each of the division’s 44 elementary schools will have to wear a mask at all times, both in school and on the bus.
“Unfortunately, the majority of our students, more than 15,000 children who will attend pre-kindergarten to grades 6 and 7 are not yet eligible to be vaccinated and are vulnerable to the risks that COVID-19 and its variants continue to pose,” said Greg Enion, the division’s director of education.
Because of that, he believes it’s important to be careful about the spread of the virus. The division will, “where possible, continue efforts to cohort, maintain physical distancing and avoid large group gatherings.”
On top of that, they’ll keep up with extra cleaning and sanitization.
Some things will head back in the direction of “normal.”
The release states that many school activities will start again, “if they can be done safely.” It lists things like recess, noon-hour breaks, physical education and extra-curricular activities. However, overnight trips and activities will not be returning yet.
Still, Enion recognizes that many want to take bigger steps back towards normal.
“Every school principal will be directed to look for opportunities to allow kids to be kids. When possible, learning and play may go outdoors where mask use may not be required.
We also have teams in place to welcome students back, to help them catch up and to feel they belong, regardless of how much school they missed last school year,” he explained.
Things are less strict for high schools, where everyone is eligible for a vaccine.
There, students and staff are not required to wear a mask, though visitors are.
Regina Public Schools will also return to the semester system.
The division said it will release a detailed, division-wide plan “in the next few days.”
Regina Catholic School Division affirms mask mandate
The Regina Catholic School Division is also expected to release its plan sometime Monday.
The Regina Catholic School Division released its entire back-to-school plan early Monday afternoon. It shares quite a few similarities with the public division’s plan.
For one, masks will be mandatory in all elementary schools for students, staff and visitors, while those in high schools can make a choice whether or not to mask up.
A mask will be required for anyone riding a bus. There will also be other COVID measures to protect the health of students.
For instance, water fountains will be blocked off, and replace with water bottle filling stations. Students will be assigned seats in lunchrooms, there will be a limit to how many people can be inside any one washroom, and hand dryers will be replaced with paper towels.
Details of the Catholic division’s plan have been posted to their website.
