(File Photo/The Canadian Press)

By Alison Sandstrom

COVID and the classroom

Prince Albert parents weigh in on return to school

Sep 4, 2020 | 2:13 PM

School’s back in session on Tuesday and whether it’s the physical or virtual classroom kids are returning to, parents have a wide range of opinions and feelings.

For some it’s excitement. Angelle Primeau says her seven-year old son can hardly wait for the first day of school.

“He was quite disappointed it got pushed back a week,” she explained.

The return to the structure and routine of the classroom is the main reason Primeau says she decided to send him back to the physical classroom, along with low case numbers.

“I’m just over trying to figure out something good to do everyday,” she said. “Summer was fine, we got to go to the lake and do lots of fun stuff, but we’re just out of activities, he needs more than I can offer.”

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Robyn says her two daughters, 17 and 14 have been bored at home and are similarly excited to get back. Their school is operating on a half in-classroom, half at-home learning model.

Her oldest, who lost out on two international Judo competitions in the spring because of the pandemic, is especially looking forward to the return of classes.

Robyn says her family never contemplated fully online learning

“These girls know all the proper hygiene etiquette,” she explained. “They know what to do, it’s been drilled into them right from the minute this whole COVID thing started.”

On the other hand, for some parents, the decision to send kids back hasn’t been as easy. Dale, who’s job is among those classified as essential, says his son returning to school puts both his family and his co-workers at increased risk.

“We all know that schools are kind of like mini petri dishes. In the fall, kids go back, everyone in your house is sick, that’s just the way it is,” he said. “What if that happens with the virus? The ramifications of that are much greater.”

However, Dale and his wife (who has a medical condition that puts her at increased risk) both work outside the home and don’t have any family locally who could take care of their ten-year-old while he did virtual learning.

“We’re sort of forced to send him back to school and accept the risks that go along with it,” he said. “If we could find another way to do it we probably would.”

Meanwhile, Celina Epp will not be sending her 11-year-old son back to school, but not because she’s worried about transmission of COVID-19.

She says she doesn’t like protocols that prevent parents from entering the school and mandatory masks.

Until those rules are lifted, she says her son will be doing virtual learning.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom