Teachers union skeptical as Nova Scotia schools poised to return to in-class learning
As 400 public schools in Nova Scotia prepare to resume in-person classes on Monday, the president of the province's teachers union says he has "severe doubts" as to whether they can stay open until the end of the week.
In an interview Sunday, Paul Wozney said he believes the government has been "overselling" its plan to help schools remain open as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to sweep through the province.
"I think people forget, but before the holidays we couldn't keep the doors open to in-person learning, we didn't have enough staff," said Wozney. ""The pressure that Omicron presents hasn't lessened, it's gotten worse."
The province reported 696 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and 627 cases on Saturday.
"I have severe doubts about whether or not we're going to be able to sustain in-person learning until the end of this week," Wozney said.
Nova Scotia schools have been closed to students since in-person classes ended on Dec. 18 and have been learning remotely since instruction resumed on Jan. 10.
Wozney said the province should exercise caution and continue with remote learning until case numbers are more manageable as has been done in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Students are not scheduled to return to in-class learning in New Brunswick until Jan. 31, while Newfoundland and Labrador and P.E.I. are holding off on a return until at least Jan. 24.
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston admitted last week that school closures due to outbreaks and staff shortages are a possibility.
But Education Minister Becky Druhan told reporters following a cabinet meeting Thursday that plans are in place to respond to whatever operational challenges arise.
"We are putting plans in place provincewide and additionally at a school level to make sure we are prepared as well as we possibly can," Druhan said. "We will do our best to work through (challenges) and to ensure that we have kids in school ... as much as we possibly can."
Druhan said that includes assigning administrative staff from school districts to the classroom in the event of teacher shortages due to illness or the need to self-isolate.
Druhan said other steps taken include the installation of portable ventilation units in classrooms. Three-ply cloth masks will also be available to teachers and students, she added.
Despite the contingency plans Wozney still questions whether there will be enough staff available to teach should in-school virus outbreaks occur.
He said part of the problem is an ever shrinking pool of available substitute teachers, an issue that was evident before the pandemic began.
As an example, Wozney cited the Halifax area which he said went from a list of as many as 2,000 active substitutes to just below 1,000 after the pandemic began. He said the shortages are worse in rural areas of the province.
"We do not have the people to sustain in-person learning for any prolonged period of time," he said. "We've made that abundantly clear to the (education) department."
Wozney added that he doesn't know whether there is a plan to cover off custodial or administrative staff who may be absent.
"It strains all reason that we are going to put our youngest, least vaccinated Nova Scotians in this situation and effectively hope for the best," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.