Kellen Taniguchi
Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling.
As students across Alberta returned to the classroom on Monday, Edmonton’s school divisions reported hundreds of absent staff members.
As of Monday morning, Edmonton Public Schools had 454 teacher absences, with 22 of those absences going unfilled, said Megan Normandeau, communications consultant for the division. She added 124 educational assistant absences were unfilled.
However, no classes, grades or schools have been moved online, said Normandeau.
Christine Meadows, communications and engagement services manager for Edmonton Catholic Schools, said 420 staff members were absent on Monday, including 217 teachers.
The president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) said the staffing shortages will continue to be a concern.
“We know operationally this is going to be extremely difficult because what happens now is we have a short supply of substitute teachers who also have a lot of concerns about working during a pandemic as well,” said ATA president Jason Schilling.
“We’ve been encouraging government and school boards to put substitute teachers on contract so that they have benefits and income security in case they themselves become sick. So, some of them are hesitant about entering classrooms without that type of security.”
Leading up to the return of in-person learning, Schilling said teachers were nervous with the high number of COVID-19 cases and the Omicron variant spreading across the province. However, he said teachers also want to be in the classroom for face-to-face learning because it’s the ideal situation.
The provincial government promised 8.6 million rapid tests and 16.5 million medical-grade masks for students and teachers returning to school on Monday, however, the supply has not been completely delivered. Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said during a media availability last Wednesday all schools should have their first shipment by the end of this week.
“You listen to the government say that, ‘We’re doing everything possible to keep schools safe and we’re going to provide these two tools for teachers and students to use when they return on Jan. 10, but they won’t be there,’ is a really bad message to send to teachers, students and their families,” said Schilling, who added people are expecting these tools to be stocked to help them through the pandemic and keep schools open.
Schilling said the masks provided by the government also might not be high-quality enough, with experts suggesting KN95 or N95 masks are more effective.
Contact tracing is one measure not being done at schools this year. Schilling said it is important to keep track of cases through contact tracing.
“That information is really important for schools and school boards to know within their communities so they can better address COVID within their areas, ” he said.
“And the fact that the government has decided they’re not going to do that, and not include those who are working in schools in the high-risk category for PCR testing, I think is a mistake.”
ktaniguchi@postmedia.com
As students across Alberta returned to the classroom on Monday, Edmonton’s school divisions reported hundreds of absent staff members.
As of Monday morning, Edmonton Public Schools had 454 teacher absences, with 22 of those absences going unfilled, said Megan Normandeau, communications consultant for the division. She added 124 educational assistant absences were unfilled.
However, no classes, grades or schools have been moved online, said Normandeau.
Christine Meadows, communications and engagement services manager for Edmonton Catholic Schools, said 420 staff members were absent on Monday, including 217 teachers.
The president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) said the staffing shortages will continue to be a concern.
“We know operationally this is going to be extremely difficult because what happens now is we have a short supply of substitute teachers who also have a lot of concerns about working during a pandemic as well,” said ATA president Jason Schilling.
“We’ve been encouraging government and school boards to put substitute teachers on contract so that they have benefits and income security in case they themselves become sick. So, some of them are hesitant about entering classrooms without that type of security.”
Leading up to the return of in-person learning, Schilling said teachers were nervous with the high number of COVID-19 cases and the Omicron variant spreading across the province. However, he said teachers also want to be in the classroom for face-to-face learning because it’s the ideal situation.
The provincial government promised 8.6 million rapid tests and 16.5 million medical-grade masks for students and teachers returning to school on Monday, however, the supply has not been completely delivered. Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said during a media availability last Wednesday all schools should have their first shipment by the end of this week.
“You listen to the government say that, ‘We’re doing everything possible to keep schools safe and we’re going to provide these two tools for teachers and students to use when they return on Jan. 10, but they won’t be there,’ is a really bad message to send to teachers, students and their families,” said Schilling, who added people are expecting these tools to be stocked to help them through the pandemic and keep schools open.
Schilling said the masks provided by the government also might not be high-quality enough, with experts suggesting KN95 or N95 masks are more effective.
Contact tracing is one measure not being done at schools this year. Schilling said it is important to keep track of cases through contact tracing.
“That information is really important for schools and school boards to know within their communities so they can better address COVID within their areas, ” he said.
“And the fact that the government has decided they’re not going to do that, and not include those who are working in schools in the high-risk category for PCR testing, I think is a mistake.”
ktaniguchi@postmedia.com
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