Dear Editor:
RE: Let’s work together, Aug. 27.
As we embark on a new school year, students, parents, teachers and all educational workers have legitimate concerns regarding health and safety.
It was therefore very disappointing to read the publisher’s editorial of Aug. 27. Citing tweets on social media is hardly a credible source of information when it comes to the realities of opening the schools.
An elementary teacher I know went into his classroom to arrange his desks to follow the two-metre guidelines. He could fit in only five desks; he is teaching 28 students. Physical distancing is the highest priority cited by the Sick Kids report, and is certainly top of mind for parents and teachers. It will be the school – teachers, educational assistants, ECEs, admin, secretaries and custodians – that will be doing their very best to keep everyone safe.
Those who make pronouncements without the experience of working in education (much different than simply attending school) should be grateful for the dedication of the past spring and what you will witness in the coming months.
Ninety per cent of families have chosen to send their kids back to school. That is a serious trust. Like all our esteemed frontline workers, the adults in the schools are more at risk than their students. COVID-19 has not gone away. Until there is a reliable vaccine, nothing has changed about this pandemic. Our only defences are barriers.
Masks up, everyone. Stay safe. Welcome back.
Kelly Janzen,
Elora