Yukon gets 3 extra school buses, as Grade 10 to 12s ride midday

Yukon will have three extraschool buses on the road this year, to help accommodatenew physical distancing measures and half-day schedules.

Students in Grade10 to 12 will be able to get picked up or dropped off at lunchtime, confirmed Yukon deputy education minister Nicole Morgan.Whitehorse students at the three largest high schools will learn at home half the day this year.

Morgan said the department can accommodate all students who are eligible forbusing, which means livingmore than 3.2 kilometres awayfrom school andgoing to school in one's attendance area.

She did not commit to busing for after-school programs or daycare. She said the departmentwill continue to work on adjustingplans "in the coming weeks."

Ivan Skofenko, director of Teddy Bear Daycare, is worried about how children will get to the centre'sbefore- and after-school programs. He said parents need to work, which is why they pay for after-school programs.

Twelve children will need a ride from school to his centre, Skofenkosaid,but they don't yet have confirmed spots on the bus.

"[Parents] will be lucky if their employers can accommodate," said Skofenko, who is trying to upgrade the daycare van."But if not, their employment will be jeopardized."

Deputy minister Morgan said this schedulingprocess is what the department would "typically be doing" in a non-COVID-19 year.

Busing to stops other than students' homes, like the daycare,are last on the priority list, according to a letter sent to parents.

New busing safety guidelines

Riding the bus will be a different experience this year. The new safety guidelines state only two students will be allowed on each seat, unless they are in the same household bubble.

Students will have assigned seating and will need to carry a bus pass.The chief medical officer has recommended students wear masks when riding the bus.

Riding the bus may also take longer than usual, Morgan said, as students will have to load onto the bus back to front to reduce mixing.

Morgan said young children are the priority for busing, followed by Grade 4 to 7 students.

Last week, Yukon Education Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee encouraged high school students to take public transit to school if possible.