By Troy Gillard

final decision coming by Aug.1

Province aims to have students back in classrooms in September

Jun 10, 2020 | 4:06 PM

Alberta wants to see students back in the classroom in September, says the province’s education minister.

“Near-normal operations will resume and students will return to daily in-school classes with some health measures,” Adriana LaGrange said today of the preferred scenario of the government. “Based on the information we have at hand right now, we expect that students will be at school in September.”

A final decision will be made by August 1.

It was on March 15 that Alberta cancelled all kindergarten to grade 12 classes, as well as post-secondary classes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On May 6, LaGrange said the province was considering three scenarios for resuming them in the fall. Those scenarios being:

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• Normal school operations are able to resume

• Schools are partially re-opened, with some level of restrictions

• Teacher-directed at-home learning continues.

“We all know that students learn best in the classroom with their teachers and their peers, provided that it’s safe to do so,” said LaGrange.

The final decision will be made by the provincial government with Lagrange making a point to say local school boards will not be able to decide for themselves which scenario they will adopt.

“How we return to in-class learning may vary regionally and will depend on the number of COVID-19 cases in total in that area.”

In the first two scenarios, there will be a series of health and safety measures in place.

If Scenario 1 is chosen, staff and students will have to sanitize their hands before entering and exiting the school. Those who are sick will not be allowed to enter the building. In classrooms, busses, and other places where physical distancing is not possible, “extra emphasis will be put on other hygiene practices.”

If Scenario 2 is chosen, class sizes would be limited to 15 students. A class calendar would be created that would put students on a “modified schedule” of who would attend in person on which days.

As part of Stage 2 of Alberta’s Relaunch Strategy, which will commence this Friday, schools can reopen for requested diploma exams and summer classes.