A recent Ministry of Education survey is highlighting that early attendance numbers show that more than 85 per cent of students returned to K-12 public school classrooms across the province in the first week, while school districts are spending on increased staffing and supports.
Minister of Education, Rob Fleming, says he has been happy to see how the first week has come together and highlights his gratitude for the hard work that has gone into getting classrooms ready.
“It’s been incredible to see so many students being able to connect with their teachers, support staff and classmates again, and that school districts developed remote options for other students across B.C.,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education. “Both as a parent and as Minister of Education, I’m grateful to educators and staff for the innovation, collaboration and hard work that went into getting schools ready for this safe restart, with local solutions to meet the specific needs of students and families.”
Fleming said that the Ministry of Education directed school districts to connect with families in their community to determine their return to school plans earlier this summer. For any family that was not planning for their child to attend in-class learning sessions and needed alternatives, school boards were given the authority to offer remote options, according to a press release issued on Friday.
For families in need of alternative learning options, school districts were expected to work with them to provide remote options that keep children connected to their school communities, said the government.
In addition to releasing early attendance numbers, the B.C. government revealed data from a recent survey sent out to school districts on how government funding was being utilized. The survey results show districts spending money on increased staffing and support.
Of the school districts that have responded to date, the government says 1,526 new positions have been created:
- 624 additional teachers hired in 34 school districts and 157,000 additional staff hours
- 73 educational assistants hired in 12 school districts and 5,100 additional staff hours
- 542 custodial staff in 38 school districts hired and 386,000 additional staff hours
- 287 positions such as school counsellors, bus drivers or administrative staff in 23 school districts and 38,000 additional staff hours.
Districts made investments into technology and locally developed programs as well in an effort to support remote learning options.
The government says thousands of laptops and tablets have been purchased for remote or online learning, highlighting that the Greater Victoria School District purchased 1,660 new devices.
Other survey results highlight that there are over 20,400 hand-sanitizing stations available for students and staff, while 88 per cent of survey respondents have upgraded their air filtration systems.
School districts have purchased over 2.1 million items of personal protective equipment in addition to the 1.5 million non-medical masks already available, the government says. These purchased items include transparent masks for hearing-impaired people and face shields for staff.
As for some of the districts on Vancouver Island, the government said the Greater Victoria School District has expanded the number of students receiving meal programs, the Comox Valley School District has added four youth counsellors and provided trauma-informed training for all staff in efforts the help with mental health and the Sooke School District has implemented a mental health literacy program for secondary students.
It has also been announced by Dr. Bonnie Henry that B.C. is making a first-of-its-kind, made-in-B.C. mouth rinse gargle sample collection available for school-aged students who require a COVID-19 test.
Graham Cox
