(Quebec) The Legault government fears that the return to school on Monday could lead to breakdowns in services due to the great contagion of the Omicron variant. To “avoid the worst”, the Ministry of Education asks the school network to be ready to urgently replace teachers placed in isolation by calling, if necessary, on “voluntary parents” to allow the children to stay in class.
Posted at 11:44 am
Quebec on Thursday submitted to school service centers, English-language school boards and private schools the guidelines to follow in developing their contingency plan. In this document, obtained by Press, the ministry warns “that a very large number of employees, all types of employment combined, will have to isolate themselves for a few days in the coming weeks”.
“The basic premise is to avoid that due to a lack of staff, students are forced to be isolated at home. […] [L]The objective is to keep the students present at school in a safe manner, despite the high rate of anticipated absenteeism among school personnel “, writes the Ministry of Education, specifying that the contingency plan must make it possible” to avoid the worst and to continue the obligation of service to the students of Quebec ”.
Identify resource persons
In its guidelines, the ministry asks schools to use their usual substitutes, but also to identify resource people who can quickly replace a teacher forced to isolate himself. This could be a teacher released for another term, a member of the support staff or students in the education program at the university. People assigned to complementary services in schools (pedagogical advisers, remedial teachers, speech therapists and other professionals) could also be called upon.
School service centers can also have recourse to resources outside the school, dictates Quebec. Organizations such as Alloprof can be approached, or volunteer parents “able to support students in class in their learning during the physical absence of the teacher”.
“The qualifications and aptitudes of these different people must be analyzed and taken into consideration when responsibilities are entrusted to them, in particular for taking charge of a group (eg: supervision of the group versus teaching given to this group)”, writes the Ministry of Education.
Remote teachers
Still to avoid disruption of services, Quebec also asks school service centers to provide for “the decompartmentalization of certain groups of students”.
“For example, a teacher could take care of more than one group of students, with the help of another resource. Students should ideally stay in two separate rooms to avoid potential contagion. The two people (teacher and other resource) move from one room to another ”, we can read in the document.
It is also permissible for a teacher alone at home to give his course remotely to his students in class, while the latter would be under the supervision of an adult present on site to supervise them.
Support for daycare services
Quebec is also urging the school network to identify resource persons in schools and outside (again the volunteer parents) to support daycare services. Among other things, school service centers must assess whether opening hours need to be changed and restrict the offer of services if necessary.
Prime Minister François Legault will provide an update on the return to class on Thursday with the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge, and the Interim National Director of Public Health, Dr.r Luc Boileau.
Starting Monday, a new COVID-19 case management protocol will also be implemented in schools across the province. Quebec is reducing the isolation period for children under 12 who are symptomatic of COVID-19 to five days. A negative self-test on day five of isolation should be required in order to return to class or daycare.