Video: Revelstoke School Board discusses school restart plan under COVID-19

The Revelstoke School Board is meeting on August 27 to discuss the district’s school restart plans, which were released to the public on August 26. It’s the first time the school board will meet to discuss the completed plans for reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan was developed over the month of August after the provincial education ministry announced restart plans for B.C. schools.

School reopening is one of the more challenging and controversial issues in the COVID-19 era, with endless considerations and challenges to account for. Revelstokemountaineer.com is broadcasting this video to provide insight into the board’s deliberations on the plans.

Watch the video here.

To access the two main documents being discussed at this meeting, see the Revelstoke Return to School Plan for September 2020, and the Safety Plan for September 2020 Restart; both links are to PDF documents hosted on the Revelstoke school district website. See this link to view an Aug. 26 letter to parents from school district Superintendent Mike Hooker.

The elected trustees of the school board are Bill MacFarlane, chairperson; Alan Chell, vice-chair; and board members Garry Pendergast, Elmer Rorstad, and Sarah Zimmer. See this link for information on school trustees. There also be many staff members at the meeting and we will identify them as practical in the comments section of the live feed.

For our past story and podcast episode featuring Revelstoke School District Superintendent Mike Hooker, see this story and the audio podcast embedded in it.

Interview: Revelstoke school district superintendent on September reopening plans

Revelstoke Mountaineer will be active in the comments section of our Facebook feed during the meeting in case you have any questions. However, we don’t have the ability to pose questions during the meeting.

Once the meeting is complete, we will be adding a text summary story in this post, and will also be creating a new post on revelstokemountaineer.com, likely in the evening of Aug. 27 or morning of Aug. 28.

Thanks for tuning in.

Revelstoke School Trustees approve school re-opening plan

Revelstoke elementary and high school students return to classes starting September 10. Although mainly a formality, Revelstoke School District 19 Board of Trustees gave its approval for the District’s “restart plan” at its August 27 meeting. All school districts were required to submit their restart plans to the Ministry of Education for approval. The Revelstoke School District’s plan was approved on Wednesday, August 26.

In an August 26 letter to parents, Revelstoke School District Superintendent Mike Hooker said school district staff are “looking forward to the fall and our work with your children. Our experience in June was that for the majority of children and families, the return to school was met with excitement.”

Here’s a brief look at what classes will look like when students return this September :

Class structure

Hooker said in-class instruction is the goal, but where a student is not able to attend (for example if they are immune-compromised) the district has a Home/Hospital support program for students who are unable to attend due to illness. Board trustee Alan Chell said there is staff capacity to increase home support if needed.

Elementary school students are being organized into learning groups of 20-55 students per group, with five to six groups per school depending on size. Each school will establish its own guidelines for accessing learning and play spaces. Alternate recess and lunch schedules will be coordinated if necessary. When possible, learning will take place outdoors.

“We’ve had examples in of Kindergarten classes that really never set foot in the building with the return in June […] that’s not to say [classes] have to be outside all the time, but as much as we’re able to,” said Hooker.

In addition, Hooker said the district will reinforce minimal physical contact as much as possible, stating that “we know not all primary children are going to avoid physical contact.”

At Revelstoke Secondary School, students are broken into two groups: Grades 8 and 9 and Grades 10 through 12.  Grade 8 and 9 students will be divided into their own cohorts with four teachers assigned to each cohort.In a letter to parents dated August 26, Revelstoke Secondary School principal Greg Kenyon said he had described the cohorts as “creating a Grade 8 ‘bubble’, and a Grade 9 ‘bubble, each with their own set of teachers.”

Students at RSS in Grades 10 through 12 will switch to a quarter system, sometimes called the Copernican system. Students take only two classes each quarter (approximately 10 weeks), before switching to two different classes the next quarter. Classes are flipped each week so students don’t always have the same class each morning. Kenyon also said some courses will be scheduled “off-timetable to reduce the number of students at school during regular hours and to provide expanded course choice options.”

All Revelstoke schools will have restricted guest access with signs at the doors. Parents and other visitors are asked to call ahead when coming into the schools.

Transportation

Hooker said there is still work to complete with regards to busing and there are plans to connect with parents and students to determine numbers. The district is also still working on language around wearing masks while on school buses. Hooker said there is consideration around language depending on how many students will be riding the bus. Masks will be available for students if they forget to bring one.

Masks

The Ministry of Health has stated students in middle school and up are required to wear masks in high traffic areas such as hallways and on buses.

“We don’t have middle school so basically grade 8 and up in our district,” said Board Chair Bill MacFarlane.

Teacher and staff orientation

Typically, teachers and staff have a two-day orientation prior to the start of classes. This year the orientation will take place over four days. Ongoing training and orientation will continue throughout the school year. Trustee Gary Pendergast asked if any teachers have expressed concerns about returning to work. Hooker said he expects “there will be some wrinkles”, but stated there is a process in place for this.

“It’s going to be as a community that we provide our children with an opportunity to reunite at school,” said MacFarlane.

Parents and students with questions about the September restart plan can contact their school’s principal or Mike Hooker at [email protected].