Parents across School District 43 (SD43) are sending children to school amidst a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still excitement was the main emotion felt by parents who were escorting their children to Alderson Elementary on Coquitlam’s west side.
“Yay, we are excited,” said one mom as she opened the door of her car to let her child out safely onto the sidewalk.
Yet some parents expressed fears that the spread of the Delta variant would hit elementary schools hard, as-yet unvaccinated students mingle with each each other indoors.
“It’s good [to return to school] at the same time I’m worried,” said Jay, “Things may change drastically.”
Another parent expressed similar concerns to the Tri-City News.
Daria said her two boys — one entering kindergarten, the other into Grade 2 — are excited about going back to school.
However, Daria, who is still working at home until her downtown office re-opens in October, is concerned that her sons’ classroom will go into quarantine if there is an infection.
She said it was extremely stressful when schools were closed at the beginning of the outbreak last year and she hopes the school year goes smoothly.
During the previous school year she got several notices about COVID-19 cases at the school, but none affected her sons’ classroom.
This year there won’t be any notices to parents unless they are directly impacted.
The BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) is calling on the province to provide regular information about COVID-19 in schools.
President Teri Mooring called for reliable data on exposure and case numbers in schools to be publicly available on the B.C. Centre for Disease Control website, the same as how case counts in all health regions are reported.
The absence of reliable data will only lead others to try and compile their own information, Mooring said.
Mooring said previous notices weren't perfect because they didn't state how many cases of the virus were circulating, but at least they provided some indication about what was happening in schools.
Meanwhile, School District 43 is putting in place several COVID-19 safety guidelines, including health checks for students and staff.
As well traffic flow will be maintained to avoid crowding, hand sanitizer will be available, and cleaning and sanitizing will be in place in all schools.
In a letter to parents and families, SD43 Superintendent and CEO Patricia Gartland said she believes current restrictions in place will be effective given the region's vaccination rate is still rising across its neighbourhoods.
With the exception of eating and drinking, or exemptions considered "special circumstances," B.C.'s education ministry has reinstated its mask mandate in schools for students in Grades Four to 12.
Masks are only being recommended for students in kindergarten to Grade Three.
As of Thursday (Sept. 2), the Tri-Cities is holding an 81% immunization average among eligible residents aged 12 years and older who've received two doses of a COVID-9 vaccine.
Last week, the BC Centre for Disease Control reported 187 COVID-19 local health-area cases in the Tri-Cities.
- with files from Kyle Balzer, Tri-City News, and The Canadian Press
