Students and staff in secondary schools will be required to wear masks in high-traffic areas such as in hallways and on buses in order to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Exceptions will be made for students who can’t wear masks for medical reasons, according to an announcement from the province on Monday.
BC Ministry of Education is providing more money to buy 1.5 million masks so every staff member and students has at least two.
Even when wearing a mask, staff and students will still be required to maintain physical distance from people outside of their learning group, according to the ministry. Efforts will be put in place to ensure there is no crowding, gathering or congregating of people from different learning groups in a school setting, even if non-medical masks are being worn.
Schools are set to open up full-time in the fall, but students will be limited to contact within their “learning groups” – groups of 60 students in elementary schools and 120 in high schools.
Guidelines also cover the key components of delivering K-12 education during the pandemic, including curriculum, report cards, supports for students with disabilities/diverse abilities, and finance and operations.
Other health and safety guidelines include: increased cleaning of high-contact surfaces like doorknobs, keyboards, desks and chairs; increased hand hygiene with all students, staff and visitors being required to clean their hands before boarding school buses and entering school buildings, before and after eating, using the washroom and using playground equipment; and school districts may also install transparent barriers for people who have more contact with others, such as front-desk staff, bus drivers or food services staff, where appropriate.
