Sask. parents anxious over back-to-school plans organize 'town hall' to discuss COVID-19 concerns

Saskatoom -

Concerned parents and teachers in Saskatchewan had the chance to directly ask questions to doctors in a Thursday night town hall.

The virtual town hall featured two pediatricians, an infectious disease specialist and an epidemiologist.

Tenille Lafontaine, a mother of three, moderated the event.

Lafontaine said parents and educators have been “met with a lot of silence” from provincial leaders, and wanted to get answers.

Masks, vaccines and the Delta variant were the main topics of discussion.

“I have the same concerns that were voiced by the parents on the call,” Lafontaine said.

“I would like to see consistency and clear messaging from our government, and I would love to see our government really advocating for masks for our children.”

The province has left decisions about COVID-19 protocols up to school divisions.

Masks will be mandated for most elementary schools in Saskatchewan. Most high schools aren’t requiring masks, but they’re strongly recommended.

On Thursday morning, Dustin Duncan spoke at the Saskatoon Teachers Association convention.

It was the first time he’s directly spoken to educators since becoming the education minister in November.

Duncan thanked the teachers in the room for their work. He shared stories of his own children attending school.

Following the convention, in an interview with CTV News, Duncan said Saskatchewan is “in a better position” this school year.

“Last September, there were zero vaccinations across the province. We now have hundreds of thousands of people, including students, that have been vaccinated,” Duncan said.

“We’re hoping for a more normal school year as possible. But schools were really an area of low transmission last year, and that was with no vaccinations for anybody.”

The minister defended the decision to allow school divisions to make their own back-to-school rules.

He said it gives schools the “flexibility to be able to tailor plans to their own needs.”

Most schools are scheduled to begin Sept. 1.

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