Some students head back to school..others remain at home

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Schools will also have staggered lunch and recess breaks, with more outside time for students.

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A district survey suggested three-thousand students were planning to return to classes, which is about a third of the total enrolment.

The number of students will be reduced, desks will be further apart, and new cleaning and hygiene measures have been implemented.

About 35 percent of the students in School District 22 — just over 3,000 in number — have said in a recent survey they plan to return for in-class learning.

Most students in kindergarten through Grade 5 will have half-time attendance, such as alternating days, while grades 6 to 12 will go to school about one day a week.

About 5,000 students, including the children of essential service workers and those needing extra support, are already in classrooms.

But B.C. Teachers Federation President Teri Mooring said a lot of what schooling looks like in June depends on how many students actually show up.

Only some school districts conducted surveys of families asking whether they planned to send their kids back to school and the results varied between a high of 90 per cent and a low of 15, she said.

“It’s hard to know exactly what that’s going to look like until we see the kids who come through the doors on Monday,” Mooring said.

Some students won’t have the same teacher as staff are shuffled to accommodate the new schedules and smaller class sizes, she said.

About one in 10 teachers are requesting to keep working from home because they have a higher vulnerability to Covid-19, which means they’ll likely be dedicated to teaching students who stick with remote learning, Mooring said.

Drivers are reminded to slow down in school zones with the return of students.

The 30 km-h speed limits are in effect from 8 a.m. to 5.p.m., and police in some areas are planning enforcement.

Fines for speeding in a school zone range from $196 to $483 and can include impoundment of vehicles.

(With files from the Canadian Press)