Student, parents say they feel abandoned as Alberta's K-12 kids return to school
CBC
Twelve-year-old Charlie Kozak wasn't feeling safe about having to be in class on Monday.
"It's a chaotic mess," Charlie said during a phone interview from his home as he prepared to return to his school in Calgary.
"I know some people in my class travelled out of country over Christmas break. Some people have done unsafe family gatherings. We're allowed to take masks off at our desks next to them [that] aren't six feet apart.
"It's unsafe."
While some parents are relieved that students in Grades K-12 are returning to classes after an extended holiday break, many say they are concerned and frustrated about unclear instructions from the Alberta government on how it plans to contain a surge in COVID-19 infections in classrooms caused by the Omicron variant.
The province had an almost 40 per cent positivity rate last week. Education Minister Adriana LaGrange has promised thousands of test kits will be delivered to students and parents over the next few days, but has left it up to schools to report and track infections.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health, has said a return to in-person learning is critical and necessary for students' mental wellness.
"We know the COVID infection has a low — but not zero — risk for children. We also know in-person learning is critically important for many kids' educational and social development and provides a sense of stability and normalcy in these challenging times," she said last week.
Charlie's mother, Dr. Stephanie Cooper, an obstetrician, said she agrees mental well-being is worsening among students, but "mental health is not just about being online or in-person."
"There's a lot of other variables that include the stress of not feeling like you have all the information."
She pointed to a promise made by LaGrange that students will go back to classes with more medical masks.
Schools have received their masks and test kits, but Edmonton Public Schools and the Alberta Teachers' Association have said there are still kids who won't get them until days after they return to classes, which could exacerbate the spread of the already highly contagious variant.
"They're going to take off their masks and eat in a classroom for the lunchtime period," Cooper said. "None of this makes any sense. Certainly, a lot of parents are left with a lot of questions as to the logistics of how this is going to happen."
"I don't have the best mental health either but I feel like COVID wasn't the thing that affected that," Charlie added.