Back to School in Canada

In this article, we will discuss the fears we are facing as we send our kids and grandkids back to school in Canada.

I must admit I was terrified of sending our grandkids back to school, especially since one of those grandkids has type 1 diabetes.

So yes, I am afraid of sending him back to school, so is my daughter.

Having type 1 diabetes means Alex is immuno-compromised.

This means that if he were to get COVID, he is at an increased risk of developing complications or even death.

Because of COVID, the kids have essentially been out of school for six months.

I know they were doing online classes to finish up the last school year but I am referring to physically being in the classroom.

So what are the schools doing to ensure the safety of all students?

Does what grade a child is in effect the safety precautions?

What about safety on school buses?

Are the safety precautions determined by each province or is it the same across the country?

These are very real concerns and my daughter and I have been seeking answers before sending the kids back in the classroom.

Will sending kids back to the classroom be safe

While we have been having great fun and adventures with our grandkids over the summer, our governments and school boards have been desperately trying to come up with a back to school strategy.

Parents across the country are wondering if it is safe to send their kids back to school while still battling this pandemic.

Heading back to the classroom will look very different this year compared to previous years.

All things will be considered to make it as safe as possible. Things like reduced group sizes, wearing masks, staggered lunchtimes, and more.

Parents across the country are wondering if it is safe to send their kids back to school while still battling this pandemic.

There are many things that parents must consider such as:

• their needs around work
• the children’s need for education
• childcare needs
• transportation needs

So how do you know what to do?

What if your child also has diabetes which already adds additional strain to the day?

What measures are being taken

Each province and territory is working in collaboration with school boards and individual schools to determine the safety measures to be implemented.

All back to school plans will include certain features:

1. Physical Distancing: Distancing may work well for older students but isn’t really practical for younger students. 
2. Additional cleaning and hygiene practices: This will include regular hand washing and sanitizing as well as strongly discouraging food sharing.
3. Class groupings: Known as cohorts and means a certain amount of students can be within 2 meters apart. This is to try and reduce the number of people any one student is exposed to. In some cases, smaller class sizes will be implemented where possible.
4. Daily self-screening: This would involve assessing yourself for symptoms and taking an online assessment.

Every Province is different

We have grandchildren in several provinces. We have 3 grandchildren here in New Brunswick, 2 in Ontario, and 5 in Alberta.

Each province has both its own provincial government and its own school boards.

This means that what back to school looks like is slightly different within each province.

The Canadian Health Agency does offer back to school guidelines however each province does have its’ own guidelines they will be following.

You can check the guidelines specific to your province here:

• Atlantic Canada: N.L., N.S., N.B., PEI
• Central Canada: Que., Ont.
• Western Canada: Man., Sask., Alta., B.C.
• Northern Territories: NWT, Yukon, Nunavut

I know here in New Brunswick, back to school looks a little different than previous years with staggered start times, wearing masks in public areas, and high school students will use a combination of distance learning and classroom time.

We only have one granddaughter in high school (she doesn’t mind attending the classroom every other day), one in middle school and the rest are in elementary school, one is in daycare.

Several schools in Alberta have already experienced some new cases being identified and confirmed in several schools which have resulted in the closing of the affected schools.

Several Ontario schools and child care centers have also reported cases. Those affected have been isolated rather than close schools although I have heard of 1 school closing. Likely more will follow.

This has not affected any of our grandchildren yet but certainly increases our fears for their safety.

Here in New Brunswick

Full-time learning will be mandatory in New Brunswick. However, depending on the students’ grade level it may look different.

Kindergarten to grade 8 students will attend school full-time in smaller groups of 15. These groups will attend class, socialize, and even enter the school together but must maintain distance from other groups.

High school students will be required to attend class a minimum of every other day, with reduced class sizes. Each student is required to purchase their own laptops to bring to class to ensure continuity between in-class instruction and distance learning. The province is providing financial support for this purchase.

For students in grades 6 – 12, masks are necessary when outside the classroom. Younger students will be encouraged to also wear masks.

Hand sanitizing stations will be placed at entrances and in every classroom.

Drinking fountains will be replaced with water bottle filling stations.

Transportation

On school buses, curtains will be installed around drivers and if physical distancing is not possible when students are boarding or exiting the driver will wear a facemask and shield.

Students will sit in the same seat every day. To promote physical distancing buses will be filled from front to back since masks are not mandatory for students in grades K to 5. They will sit one student per seat or with a member of their household.

Grades 6 – 12 are can sit 2 per seat but are not required to wear masks if they are sitting alone or with a member of their household.

As for my grandkids here, they are in grade 1, grade 7, and grade 10 and they are just happy to be back to school.

Our grandkids in Alberta take the bus to school.

Here in New Brunswick, our grandkids don’t take the bus, they could but their parents decided they would rather drive them than have them not get home till 5 pm because the busses need to make 2 trips to have fewer students on the bus at one time.

Our son in law drops them off in the morning and picks them up after school.

Thankfully we run our blog-based business from home which makes us available as backup transportation for our grandkids or to help manage Alex’s diabetes if necessary. You can check out the training we used here.

Kids with Special Needs

Our grandson Alex is considered a special needs kid because of his type 1 diabetes.

We have never treated Alex as though he has a disability, but the New Brunswick school board has given him that label which his parents are certainly not happy about.

He truly isn’t disabled. Alex really can do anything anyone else can do. He just may have to wait to have that snack or he may need to eat before he goes outside but he can certainly still go out to play at recess.

His ability to learn and develop socially is not affected in any way.

Alex’s school is a small country school and has students from Kindergarten through grade 2, after that the kids are bused into town for grades 3 through 12.

There are three TA’s (teacher assistants) at his school, one for each amazing classroom. Another great thing is the fact that there are smaller class sizes( Alex has 15 kids in his class).

Between the TA and the teacher, they can monitor Alex’s blood glucose and at lunchtime, my daughter or son-in-law goes to the school to administer his insulin.

Some schools have a nurse to administer insulin or other meds to students who require them. In many cases, teachers are trained to administer insulin.

Final Thoughts

While many are worried about sending our kids back to school in Canada, I find that I feel confident we can safely do this.

Yes, every province is different but they are all making what they believe to be the changes necessary to keep our kids safe and avoid having to close again.

Am I being overly optimistic?

I don’t think so. There is only so much we can do to protect our kids.

Keeping them home long-term hurts them more in the long run.

Kids need socialization with their peers that attending class offers.

Without that, I think we would have a serious problem with mental illness in our kids.

So yes having the smaller cohorts, staggered start times, distancing and masks in public areas will definitely help keep our kids safe.

I also believe these same safety measures that have been implemented against COVID will also prevent the spread of colds and flu.

I believe we are off to a great start but time will tell.

I know my grandkids are glad to be back in school.

What are your thoughts as we send our kids back to school?

Have your fears been addressed by your school board?

Leave thoughts, ideas, and suggestions in the comment section below, and if blogging is something you are interested in check out our training here.

I am not in any way a medical practitioner, please do not rely on the information on our website as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or another healthcare provider. We only share our experiences.