Edmonton Parents and Educators Concerned About Back-to-School As Omicron Cases Rise – Edmonton | The Canadian News

Thousands of students return to school in Edmonton next week, but with the increasing spread of the Omicron variant, many parents and teachers are wondering what classes will be like.

“We don’t have information, I really hope there won’t be a change at the last second,” said Michelle Henderson, who has three students who attend Edmonton Public Schools.

Henderson is a single mom and said whether the province will keep learning in class or move everything online, she just wants to know ahead of time.

“It is always chaos when everything is last minute or they notify it the day before.”

“It’s horrible for everyone’s mental health, the kids haven’t been prepared, everyone with employers or who needs child care is fighting at the last minute,” Henderson said.

Edmonton Public Schools board chair Trisha Estabrooks said the board is also seeking more clarity from the province, but would not mind an online return for now.

“There will be a number of staff shortages, a number of jobs that cannot be filled because our teachers, our instructional assistants, our custodians, everyone who works in the schools will probably get sick,” Estabrooks said.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Jason Kenney said the province would like to keep learning in class, but details are still being worked out and more information will be released later this week. It’s not good enough for front-line educators.

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“If we are going to change the school online for the next two weeks, no one had a chance to prepare before the holidays, so you will see the teachers, the parents of the school and the students fighting to make this happen,” he said. Jason, president of the Alberta Teachers Association. Schilling said.

Estabrooks added that if the province decides to keep learning in class, it hopes that funds will be available to improve ventilation, personal protective equipment (PPE) and make test kits readily available.

“These are difficult times and I just hope that we can have some clarity and that we can support our children and our staff and parents as we move forward,” Estabrooks said.

Clarity Henderson also hopes to get soon.

“It makes me feel a little anxious that we don’t know what’s going on, I’d like to plan our month, plan my work and our lives in general,” Henderson said.

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