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Alberta will close schools until January 10 due to the rapidly spreading Omicron disease

Alberta will delay the return to school for students in kindergarten through 12th grade until January 10, due to concerns surrounding the highly transmissible variant of Omicron.

Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said extending the holiday period would allow staff and school boards to better prepare for the return to classes. Diploma exams for high school students will be cancelled, as they will begin on January 11.

“School authorities have told us they need more time to prepare,” LaGrange said. “I completely understand these concerns.”

The press conference announcing the delay is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, with a 30-minute notice given.

“I just walked out of a meeting with Prime Minister Jason Kenney and my cabinet colleagues to announce an important decision that we have just completed,” LaGrange said.

“Today’s decision is not taken lightly,” she said, adding that the government wanted to share the news with Albertans as soon as it was decided.

According to LaGrange, with the rapid rise of the Omicron variant, many school board officials worry about potential staffing pressures, including teachers, bus drivers, maintenance workers and educational assistants .

“Schools are expecting high numbers of students absent from school, making it difficult for teachers to manage on-site learning and home learning at the same time,” the Education Minister said.

The province’s number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, with 11,000 new infections reported in the past six days.

In an effort to make the return to classrooms safer, the province will also provide 8.6 million rapid tests and 16.5 million “medical masks” for children and adults to schools throughout the country. the week of January 10.

When asked for details about the masks, the province said they would not be N95, but “heavier” than previously delivered masks and were assessed for filtration. Each student and staff member will receive an eight-week supply of masks.

The province says the rapid test distribution will ensure each student and school staff member across Alberta has two test kits, with each set containing five tests. Distribution details are still being finalized.

LaGrange said more information will be updated by the end of next week.

The province added that any changes to in-person resumption will be based on case information, health data and “evidence-based” operational information from school authorities.

“With the COVID situation evolving rapidly, so should our response,” she added. “Our plan to halt return to school is consistent with other jurisdictions in Canada.”

BOLSTER PPE FOR SCHOOL

The Opposition officially welcomed the delay to the return to classes but said the province needed to look beyond masks and rapid tests to give students a safer environment.

“Teachers need N95 masks. That’s been clear for a while,” said Sarah Hoffman, deputy leader of the NDP.

“We also need to see the installation of HEPA filters and upgraded HVAC systems that so many parents and the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists have called for,” added Hoffman.

“Those are just some of the urgent measures we need to give our schools and the people who work within them a fighting chance to happen on January 10.”

Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers Association, says that delaying the start of instruction has benefits, in addition to rapid tests and the distribution of medical masks.

“But there are still many questions about other measures and details of the government’s plans,” he tweeted. “I hope the Secretary will engage meaningfully with the ATA over the next week to seek further advice.

“We’ve consistently offered sound and sound advice about returning to school as safely as possible.”

Ahead of this announcement, several parents in Alberta told CTV News of mixed opinions about the return to school plan.

Lindsay Primrose is a Calgary mom with three school-age boys and wants them to attend in-person classes as soon as possible.

“It’s not fair to them. Face-to-face learning needs to resume,” Primrose said.

She added: “In-person learning benefits our children in many ways not only socially, but they are being educated by those who have gone to school to become educators.

Edmonton’s mother Kimberley McMann says online learning is a safer option for her 7-year-old son.

“I think going online is a better option than meeting in person right now, given the number of cases, the lack of attention to ventilation and the good PPE schools (are) unsafe and that makes I’m really scared for my kids.”

OTHER PROVINCES

An increasing number of provinces have delayed a full return to face-to-face classroom instruction after the holiday ends in the new year.

Ontario announced Thursday that students will return to classrooms on January 5, a two-day delay to allow time to prepare for more safety measures.

BC said Wednesday it will delay in-person instruction until January 10, except for learners who need extra support who will return to school on January 3 or 4.

In Nova Scotia, the holiday season is extended until January 10 to allow families to monitor for any developing COVID-19 symptoms before children return to the classroom.

All schools in Quebec will offer distance learning through January 17, where possible.

Featuring files from CTV News Calgary’s Stephanie Thomas and Michael Franklin

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