SASKATOON -- Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) president Patrick Maze says he wants clearer direction from the province as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.
“We’re getting a little tired of hearing ‘recommend,’ we’d like to hear some firm direction,” he said, in response to the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s (SHA) recommendation that school divisions reduce in-class learning for high schools with 600 or more students.
“We’d like to hear some strong direction that protects students and staff in our schools. We know that many elementary schools have around 600 or more students, and they’re overcrowded and they need strong directive.”
Maze says he’s concerned about the health and safety of staff and students, and that “everyone in schools should be required to wear masks regardless of where they are” in Saskatchewan.
“We still have in many school divisions pre-k to three masks are optional, and that’s unacceptable,” he said. “We know that COVID is in schools right across the province, in all corners of the province, so thinking this is just a Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert problem is ridiculous. We want tougher provisions, and we want government to get serious with this, hopefully to prevent a complete shutdown of our schools like we saw in March.”
Maze also says the “in between” of students being in class and online creates more stress for teachers, who are also “overburdened” with consistently having to provide hand sanitizer and hand spray for students in their classrooms.
“All of that comes at a huge cost to our staff, and it seems mostly elementary teachers at this point who are completely overburdened by extra assignments, extra duties in order to keep safe,” he said. “One area of concern is that they’ve indicated that three layer masks are better now, and yet our government has completely stocked up on disposable, and masks that don’t quite meet that requirement. That may require a bit of an investment.”
