The Government of Alberta says it is working with school authorities and education system partners on developing a comprehensive school re-entry plan for the 2020-2021 school year starting in September.  

Alberta Education Minister Adrian LaGrange says that no decisions have been made on how schools will operate come fall after teacher-directed at-home learning which started after classes in schools were cancelled for the remainder of the school year on March 16th because of growing fears over COVID-19.

The re-entry plan to be developed will consider three scenarios that could exist this September.  They are:

  • Normal school operations are able to resume.
  • Schools are partially re-opened, with some level of restrictions.
  • Teacher-directed at-home learning continues.

LaGrange says the re-entry plan will prioritize the safety and well-being of our teachers, staff, and students. In addition to the feedback gathered from the education system, the plan will honour collective bargaining agreements and will be informed by Alberta’s Relaunch Strategy and advice provided by Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.

For now, teachers continue to work from the at-home learning guidelines established on March 20th, with subject matter and workload varying by grade level.

Schools are using multiple approaches to deliver content to students. More than 90 percent of school authorities are offering online learning, while about half are also emailing, telephoning and sending paper-based work to students.

School authorities and the government have provided about 60,000 devices, including laptops, Chromebooks, tablets, and iPads, to students as they learn from home. School authorities have prioritized providing devices to students based on need, focusing on students who do not have access to devices, have complex needs, or are high school students.

Additionally, the Métis Nation of Alberta, in partnership with Rupertsland Institute, has purchased more than 2,200 devices for self-identified Métis students across Alberta.

Recognizing that many families have questions about at-home learning, a provincial education helpline is now available to parents through which Alberta Education staff will address their questions and direct them to their school authorities, where applicable. The intent is to provide advice to families, particularly to parents of children with disabilities, who have questions about their child’s program now that the traditional delivery process has changed.

Parents can reach the helpline by calling 780-422-6548 (toll-free by dialing 310-0000, followed by the 10-digit phone number) or by emailing studentsupport@gov.ab.ca.

Additionally, more than 4,000 curriculum resources to support parents and students are available on the LearnAlberta.ca website. School authorities have also made various resources available on their own websites.

The President of the Alberta Teachers Jason Schilling says that the challenges of reopening schools in the province is very complex.  " We appreciate the efforts of the minister and department officials to meaningfully engage us on these important issues. The health and safety of students, teachers, staff, families, and the broader community are paramount in these discussions. We are using input from provincial ATA teacher representatives and a recent COVID-19 related survey of over 2,000 teachers to share the views of the profession.”

The government says the school re-entry plan is one element of its relaunch strategy that must be in place before Alberta can begin to safely remove public health restrictions.  

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