With just one week until students return to the classroom, anxious parents and teachers rallied at the Confederation Building demanding more protocol for safe classrooms.
The rally was organized by a newly formed group, Safe September NL, which has gained a quick following online.
Parents were not confident in the safe return to school but also made it clear that the second wave of COVID-19 may never make it to the province. Instead, some parents fear that a wave of mental health issues will arrive instead.
Catherine, the parent of two children in primary and elementary, says not enough is being done and she does not feel comfortable sending her children back to school.
She says her main concern is on class sizes and physical distancing. Catherine says the government needs to be proactive, not reactive.
Another parent, Rhonda McMeekin, says the government has had plenty of time to come up with a plan.
She says the virus has changed but the fact that school is starting next week has not changed at all. McMeekin says the parents are not looking for perfection, they are looking for progress.
So proud of this man who just spoke at the #safeseptemberNL RALLY ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Hg5J0gpRnH
— Ro (@rhondamcmeekin) September 1, 2020
Representatives from all government parties were present during the rally.
One of the speakers was NDP Education Critic Jack Harris who emphasized the need for smaller class sizes by using examples from his career as a teacher.
Minister of Education Tom Osborne stayed until the end of the rally and responded by telling the crowd he was listening to everything they had to say. An update from the department is expected on Thursday.
A rally is getting underway at Confederation Building led by a newly formed group Safe September NL.
Anxious parents and teachers are concerned with the province’s back-to-school plan. @VOCMNEWS #nlpoli https://t.co/965DM9e7gz pic.twitter.com/qBwg3hBZAS
— Victoria Battcock (@VicBattcockVOCM) September 1, 2020