Education Minister Announces Advances to Support Back to School

The Minister of Education Tom Osborne provided an update today on measures to support the safe reopening of schools.

Masks will be required to be worn by students in grades 7 to 12 in classrooms where physical distancing of one-metre face to face is not possible.

The province’s school districts have advised that a one-metre distance is largely achievable in most classrooms.

Public exams scheduled for January 2021 will be cancelled, recognizing the loss of some instructional time when schools closed in spring 2020.

Other measures were taken within the last two weeks to support a successful return to school:

• Additional busing;

• Hiring 70 substitute teachers on term contracts for specific schools;

• Increasing custodian hours from five to seven hours per day;

• Hiring up to 25 custodians;

• Adding 15 administrators (principals);

• Adding 25 guidance counsellors;

• Providing cleaning supplies to busing contractors; and

• Continuing conversations on such things as ventilation, along with other initiatives that will improve the delivery of education.