Province announced return to school in September and contingency plans for blended and at-home learning

July 23, 2020

On Wednesday, Education Minister Zach Churchill released the government’s back-to-school plan.

“The province is planning for all children to return to school on September 8, 2020. This plan may change if direction is provided to the department by Public Health in response to their assessment of changing COVID-19 conditions in Nova Scotia.”

With the support of the IWK, Public Health and educators, the plan is to support every student to go back to school in September. It is built on three guiding principles: safety, equity and flexibility.

Enhanced health and safety measures will be in place to ensure the safety of children, students, families, and staff. New measures include:

  • Classrooms will be reorganized to increase spacing, and each class will be treated as a bubble, to reduce contact with other students
  • Students and drivers will be required to wear masks in school buses
  • Students in high school will be required to wear masks in hallway and common areas
  • Only students and staff will be allowed in schools
  • Handwashing and self-screening will be required as people enter buildings as well as before and after lunch
  • Anyone feeling ill will need to go home
  • Supplies and food will not be allowed to be shared
  • Students will eat lunch at their desks and cafeteria services will be delivered to them

In response to information gathered from thousands of surveys of parents and students following at-home-learning this past spring, the province has spent $4 million on 14,000 computers. They will be made available to any students without consistent access to devices should learning be moved to a blended or at-home model if a change in approach is required.

For more information, read the full Nova scotia’s back to school plan https://bit.ly/39muw08 and follow @nseducation

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