'We’re sending kids back as an experiment:' Parents urge Sask. government to revise COVID-19 back-to-school plan

SASKATOON -- Thousands of parents have signed a petition urging the province to revise its back-to-school plan.

Charles Smith, a father of twin nine-year-old boys, started the petition after the government released its plan on Tuesday.

“We don’t know what to do come September first. We don’t feel it’s going to be completely safe,” Smith, who works is a political science professor at the U of S, said. 

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"We feel like we’re sending kids back as an experiment to see who gets sick and then they’ll make adjustments accordingly. I don’t find that to be very reassuring.” 

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Part of the Safe Schools Plan includes increased cleaning protocols, staggered recesses and dedicated quarantine areas in schools. 

Masks are not mandatory, class sizes will stay the same and extra-curricular activities will continue. 

Parents consider homeschooling 

Smith said he’s unsure whether his kids will go back to school in September.

“I was texting some friends and I think as parents we’re universally having trouble sleeping,” he said. 

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Elya Lam, a Saskatoon mother and former teacher, said she’s concerned no new money is being allocated to the plan. 

“It’s heartbreaking, and frankly a little bit terrifying to see there were no additional funding measures put into place for our kids,” Lam, a mom to four, told CTV News. 

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Lam said she’s “hesitant” to send her kids back to school as a result. 

Serious enquiry. Looking for parents to bubble with and hire a teacher (that doesn’t want to put themselves at risk in the current system) for K-Gr 4. Must provide room for kids in our bubble whose family maybe can’t do this private for every kid we have. #skpoli @hinz_tamara

— Mary Kinloch (@saskmary) August 4, 2020

August is usually a month filled with anticipation and excitement as I prepare for a new school year. As much as I want things to feel normal, I am overwhelmed with anxiety about the thought of returning to full classrooms at school. #sasked

— Tenille Kirtzinger (@tkirtzinger) August 5, 2020

On Thursday, an “email blitz” is planned — urging parents and students to send multiple emails to the minister of education.

Mask up for Education rallys are also in the works, where people will gather at MLA offices on Friday, wearing masks, urging the province to adjust its paln to reopen schools.