Interview: Revelstoke school district superintendent on September reopening plans

Schools are set to reopen in Revelstoke and B.C. in September amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, creating numerous big challenges for those responsible for overseeing and organizing the reopening plans.

Like with many things COVID-19, the situation is fluid and information is updated on a daily basis, adding more complexity to the situation. The B.C. government has published its Back to School Plan, and there have been supplemental updates, such as this August 17 update on mask and distancing protocols. On August 18, the Revelstoke school district emailed a letter to parents with an update on school plans.

For an update on the process in Revelstoke, we spoke with Mike Hooker, the Superintendent of School District No. 19.

In this audio interview, Hooker outlined some of the plans so far, and also provides information on how students and parents can keep up to date on the developing plans.

Listen to the interview by clicking the SoundCloud icon below. Download the Soundcloud app for the best experience. The app sometimes has a five-second lag between when you click play and when the audio starts.

Key points in the interview:

-School staff are continuing to work on the Revelstoke plan, targeting completion by August 26. Until then, some details are still being worked out.

-The school district is basing their planning on four general principles: 1. As outlined by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, school is important and there are health and education downsides to not having students in school; 2. According to provincial guidelines, the school district will be putting students into learning groups that will limit contacts among students, which will vary in size between elementary and high school; 3. The Revelstoke school district has experience with a limited reopening in June and will adjust plans based on what it learned there; 4. The overall reopening plan is staged, and the September reopening is based on stage two of five.

-The reopening creates logistical challenges, such as transportation to schools, matching teachers with student learner groups, and trying to ensure high school students are able to take all the classes they want despite restrictions, for example.

-The reopening is complex, so parents and teachers will need to go beyond the news headlines and do some research into the details via the School District No. 19 website, the B.C. Back to School Plan website, and the BC Centre for Disease Control.

-More details will be emerging, so it’s important to keep up to date.