Smooth start to classes at Keewatin Patricia schools

A school board west of Thunder Bay has had a smooth beginning to the 2020-2021 academic year.

Students in the schools operated by the Keewatin Patricia District School Board with operates in communities west of Thunder Bay, including Kenora, Red Lake, Dryden, Ignaceand Sioux Lookout began returning to class on Sept. 3; the board's schools temporarily shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But despite uncertainty about the reopening of schools, there have been no issues during the first week back, said Sherri-Lynne Pharand, the board's director of education.

"So far, kids have been really excited to come back to school and see their friends," Pharand said. "They haven't been together since just before the March Break."

"Teachers and principals are really excited to welcome back children into the schools, as well," she said. "So far, it's been an environment of excitement, like you would expect at the beginning of a new school year. However, there are the new protocols that we're all learning at the same time."

Those protocols, Pharand said, include a staggered start to the school year and seating students as far apart as possible in classrooms.

Students also have scheduled breaks throughout the day to wash their hands.

Pharand said students in grades four to 12 must wear masks, and the board recommends those in kindergarten to Grade 3 do as well; students are also given as much time outdoors as possible.

And while the board did offer an online learning option this year, Pharand said only about 20 per cent of students opted to learn that way. Those classes begin Friday, she said.

Protocols in place for positive COVID-19 tests

Protocols are also in place should a student or staff member test positive for COVID-19, Pharand said.

"It is largely driven by public health," she said. "If somebody falls ill at school every school this year has an area that is a place where they would be able to be isolated."

Students or staff would be required to go homeand wouldn't be able to return to school until they're symptom-free and cleared by public health officials.

"All the contact tracing and all of that is done by public health," she said. "Our schools this year, however, are supporting that by keeping records so they can contact-trace very quickly."

"For example, bus seating plans, classroom seating plans, where students and staff have been in the school each day, who they may have come into contact with," Pharand said. "All of that is availableimmediately to public health in the event that they need that information."

Overall, planning for the school year was an intensive process, Pharand said.

"It has taken a lot of coordination and planning, and support from the [Ministry of Education], from public health, from our senior team, from all of our school administrators and our teachers," she said. "I really can't say enough good things about our staff who have really come together to make all the changes necessary, put all the protocols in place in their schools, in order to do everything that we possibly can as a school board to keep our children safe this falland our staff safe."