Time is running out for teachers and administrators to make proper preparations for the return to school, which is just weeks away.

The largest school district, the English School Board, expects to release a draft plan in the coming days.

Parents are becoming increasingly anxious over the questions that remain surrounding masks, testing protocols, busing, enhanced sanitation procedures, smaller class sizes, and screening measures.

Dean Ingram, President of the NLTA, states that the clock is ticking for school staff to properly prepare.

He’s hopeful that the reason for the delay is that there are additional guidelines and advice coming which will allow the districts to maintain a more robust and rigorous plan. Ingram says the school system is fragile and has concerns that as we move forward it would take very little to shut down the schools. He says the plan needs to ensure the school system becomes resilient and can stay open in the face of some flare-ups that will inevitably occur.

Ingram says if we delay much longer it will be very challenging for those individuals who are tasked with implementing local school-level decisions to put the necessary measures in place. He says the plan will require a tremendous amount of planning once it’s announced.

MHA Stresses Need for More Resources

Meanwhile, a current MHA and former long-time educator believes more resources need to be allocated to schools in order to make reopening sustainable.

Craig Pardy, the MHA for Bonavista, has two concerns with the reopening: The lack of detail from government and the need for more resources.

Pardy ties the success or failure of the reopening to government and how it acts.

He doesn’t know what kind of plan the school board can come up with if they don’t get additional resources. He says maintaining face-to-face instruction this year is up to government.

As an example, Pardy says extra resources could mean hiring more teachers to help split up the classes that are almost at capacity.

He contends that smaller schools in rural areas will have a better success rate, but it’s the bigger schools, especially in metro, where he is worried about problems arising if more resources are not given.

He doesn’t believe all schools in the province will close again, but thinks the schools in the metro region will have to close first.