A group of seven high school students in Manitoba are calling for further safety measures in classrooms as Omicron cases in Manitoba increase – something they call anxiety-inducing.
Students are expected to be back in class on Monday.
“A lot of people’s argument is, ‘Omicron is soft, so it’s not really going to affect you or the youth have a low mortality rate,'” said Grade 12 student Brie Villeneuve of Grant Park High School, one of the teens asking for further safety measures.
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So far, she says, students from more than 80 different schools have plans to walk out of class together at exactly 11:30 on Monday.
“As far as teachers and schools are concerned, it has nothing to do with them. “Everything we do is completely against the provincial government and anyone involved in creating a safer school.”
Piper Lockhart is a Grade 11 student at College Louis Riel who says it’s more than just about the students.
“We do not want to go all the way back online, we want the option.”
The two say there is no route or gathering place for students to follow COVID-19 safety measures.
If you are not a student and want to show solidarity, they say to put up a sign or poster with the Manitoba legislature on Monday.
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Dr. Joe Cornow is an Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Manitoba. She says the outing comes as no surprise.
“We are in a particularly robust time for social movement organization and so many of them are led by the youth,” she says. “Young people have a specific type of passion, a specific amount of time – and a very low tolerance for BS ….”
According to her, the interests for young people feel extremely high, regardless of the situation.
“In terms of safety at school or in terms of the liveability of their planet as they grow up, all of this is very wrapped up.” She says research shows that taking to the streets can be much more effective than voting in terms of change.
She says the move could be the start of more groups deciding to actively voice their concerns about current government policies.
“It’s an incredible scale of outings,” she says. “I think that’s why elected officials will try to reduce it, because it shows the rest of us what we can do and how we can demand security.”
Education Minister Cliff Cullen said in a statement to Global News on Sunday that schools have protections in place.
“This includes a rapid testing program for asymptomatic teachers, staff and kindergarten up to grade 12 students, an additional five million masks being distributed, and ventilation assessments and improvements implemented by the schools.”
Cullen says he believes students learn best in the classroom.
“Students learn best in the classroom, the benefits can not be underestimated, from mental and physical health to socialization and support for families. “Manitoba schools have done a great deal of work to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and to protect our children.”
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Reference-globalnews.ca