New provincial restrictions went into effect on March 29, but it wasn’t until the evening of March 30 that the Ministry of Education informed school districts how that would affect students.
While the provincial health announcement referred to “supports” for masks in schools for students in Grade 4 and up, it did not say whether masks will be mandated for the younger students. The Ministry of Education has decided to require masks for Grade 4 through 12, and schools are following suit. Both the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education are recommending masks for students in kindergarten to Grade 3.
On March 31, SD46 superintendent Patrick Bocking told Coast Reporter the Sunshine Coast school district will be following the directions from the Ministry of Education, and expect the mask requirement to be in effect by April 6 after the long weekend.
“That nuance has been removed, it’s not about whether we’re encouraging and supporting. It is we are requiring you to wear a mask, if you’re a student from Grades 4 to 12,” Bocking said.
Teachers will still be able to teach without a mask if they are two metres away or behind a barrier.
In B.C., the province previously required students in middle school and high school to wear masks in indoor areas, except when sitting or standing at their desk or work station or when they are eating or drinking. Other students could choose to wear masks, but it was not mandatory. In the Surrey school district, masks became mandatory for students in Grade 4 to 7 on March 27, with some exceptions.
Students with behaviour or health issues and those who cannot put on or remove a mask without assistance will not be required to wear masks. A mask can be removed for providing service to someone with a disability, such as for lip reading.
Bocking said he’s received emails from parents opposed to students wearing masks, and others confused about why it was not already a requirement.
“There are people definitely who feel very strongly about in one way or the other,” he said. “But in general, people are understanding this pandemic and we need to do certain things and follow the advice of medical science.
“Having the support of parents just makes a world of difference. And we've recognized as well that this has been a real challenge for families. I’m excited that we’ve been able to offer kids an education and well over 90 per cent of our students are in schools,” Bocking said.
Since the beginning of the year, SD46 has purchased personal protective equipment for students and staff with federal and district funding. Bocking said the school district will be monitoring whether they need to increase mask purchases.
Optional mask use in schools across the district has varied, Bocking added, with some schools seeing many students wearing masks, and other schools rarely seeing the same.
After the March 29 announcement, the B.C. Teachers’ Federation tweeted its reaction to the updated guidelines.
“Finally,” the BCTF tweeted. “Thank you to those who have worked so hard to get this important safety measure in place. Teachers will be relieved to have this added layer of protection.”
In SD46, there have been four instances of potential exposures in schools, although Bocking said there has been no evidence of transmission through the schools. Elphinstone Secondary School’s most recent exposure was on March 9 and 11 and its first exposure was on Jan. 7 and 11. Chatelech Secondary School also saw two exposures, first on Jan. 13-14, Jan. 18, Jan. 21 and then on Jan. 25-26, according to the Vancouver Coastal Health exposure archive.
