‘Information is missing:’ A lot of concern about the COVID-19 plan for the start of the school year in Quebec

Quebec’s back-to-school plan for another school year marred by the COVID-19 pandemic has left some parents and teachers with concerns and questions about the latest round of measures.

The president of the English Parents Committee, which represents more than 200,000 parents across the province, calls for more details on the measures.

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Katherine Korakakis said families need to find out more about what happens if there is a new coronavirus outbreak in a classroom or school. There are also questions about how vaccine passports might be applied to adolescents participating in extracurricular activities or sports.

“There is information missing for sure,” she told Global News.

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Education Minister Jean-François Roberge unveiled the highly anticipated plan on Wednesday as the school year approaches and COVID-19 cases jump. Classroom bubbles have been eliminated and masks will be mandatory in schools but not in class, outdoors or in daycares.

Vaccination passports will be required for some “high-risk” extracurricular activities or events, but the province has yet to give details on what that includes.

This is not quite a return to pre-pandemic conditions and while Roberge described it as a “careful and responsible” framework to open schools safely as the health crisis continues, some parents are not. disagree.

Lauren Wodnicki has an eight-year-old daughter who switched to e-learning last year due to a medical condition. Before the pandemic, Charlotte Rose’s breathing problems forced her to miss almost 40 days of school a year, but last year she only missed four while learning at home.

Wodnicki said she was waiting to hear what is in store for vulnerable and at-risk children like Charlotte so far, she says she has few answers.

“Not only did his plan shock me because of the Delta variant, but because they didn’t even mention the kids who were exempt last year,” she said.

“I was shocked and I think this is a very dangerous plan.”

Masks are not mandatory in class is another concern for Wodnicki as she fears more parents and teachers will also fall ill. As Charlotte is too young to be vaccinated, Wodnicki hopes her daughter can continue to learn virtually during the pandemic.

“I will not send him to a classroom under these conditions,” she said.

Wayne Yearwood has an 11-year-old son in school. He also expressed concerns about the removal of masks in classrooms.

“I don’t know what is preventing COVID from entering the classroom,” he said.

However, the education minister said if children or teenagers want to wear their masks in class, they can. He also said the measures could be adapted if the grip of the pandemic tightens again.

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Heidi Yetman, president of the Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers, said masks should likely be used in the classroom, especially in elementary schools.

Teachers are also concerned about eliminating bubbles in the classroom and allowing students to mingle more than last year “considering the virus, the Delta variant, is spreading like wildfire,” according to Yetman.

In the meantime, English-language school boards in Montreal are preparing for another school year marked by the pandemic.

The Lester B. Pearson School Board said it is waiting for more information from the government, but will follow all COVID-19 guidelines and the English Montreal School Board has not ruled out adding more measures if necessary.

With files from Dan Spector and Amanda Jelowicki of Global News