'Do what feels right': Pediatrician weighs in on Sask. back-to-school guidelines

The Saskatchewan government is planning to see students back in classrooms this September.

Last week, Education Minister Gord Wyantreleased guidelines for K-12 schools in the province. They focus on enforcing proper hygiene practices like hand-washing and limiting physical contact, but won't require students to wear masks or maintain strict physical distancing.

While some parents and teachers are concerned about the lack of personal protective equipment and worry children might carry and spread the virus, Dr. Karen Leis, a board member of the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS), is looking forward to seeing students get back to the classroom.

"In terms of the physical distancing piece, we have to remember that children don't have the same capacity as adults, nor do they have the same needs," she said.

Leis said that while the CPS is asking governments to take public health measures into account, it also recognizes the importance of children's social and emotional needs.

"The risks associated with social isolation are very real as well," she said.

Leis said thatwhile some children have thrived learning from home, the loss of routine and community has been extremely disruptive to many others.

She said she has seen children withsleep disturbances, new behaviour problems, anxiety and mood issues.

"It's been difficult for them to not attend school and socialize with friends and family as usual,"she said."I was just talking to a family this morning where their child was having more behaviour problems. And now that they've heard schools are back in the fall and there's an end point, he's really settled down."

Leis said she is also concerned about what would happen to at-risk children who depend on school to have a safe place to go and access to trusted adults if they were not able to return to the classroom.

Leis said Saskatchewan's safety guidelines are a realistic reflection of the kinds of rules students can reliably follow. Rather than trying to keep young children six feet apart from one another at all times and making them wear masks, students will learn about physically distant greetings like "air fives" and eat lunch at their desks.

Saskatchewan is not in uncharted territory. Quebec, P.E.I., Manitoba and B.C. have already reopened or partially reopened schools, along with some areas of Europe.

"That's promising, but it's still early days," Leis said. "What is clear around the world is that children are less severely affected than adults. In Canada, children have made up less than one per cent of cases hospitalized with coronavirus."

However, children being less severely affected than adults doesn't completely negate the risk, she said, particularly for immunocompromised children or those who live with high-risk family members. The province's safety guidelines may not be enough for all families to be comfortable sending their kids back to school in September.

"Parents have to make these decisions on an individual basis along with their healthcare provider, and just do what feels right and best for them," Leis said. "By the end of summer, we may have a lot more information. Two months in the COVID world is a long, long time and there's new data constantly coming out."