Sask. teachers want answers about how to follow COVID-19 guidelines this fall

As the school year draws to a close, teachers across the province are already concerned about what classrooms will look like in September.

Last week, Saskatchewan's Ministry of Education released back-to-school guidelines. While the plan stressed handwashing and physical distancing, one teacher is concerned that there don't appear to be any limits on the number of students in a classroom.

"If we have to implement [physical distancing], there's no way that I can have a class of 30 students in my classroom," said Shayna Zubko, a high school teacher in Esterhazy, Sask.

"If I put only two kids at a table, they're spaced apart pretty good. But then that means they can only have, like, 14 students in there. And there's just really no more room for that."

Class sizes are only one point of concern for teachers. The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation said it's concerned about the availability of personal protective equipment for staff, as well as the availability of hand sanitizer.

"They just suggested that masks are not necessary," said STF president Patrick Maze.

"The problem is, if [children] are asymptomatic, that means they have the virus but they're just not showing any symptoms and they're sitting right in the front row of our classrooms getting us sick."

Meanwhile, Zubko is also concerned about cleaning desks between periods in her classrooms, as students move from one room to another.

"We only have three or four caretakers in our building that work different schedules and they're not going to be coming in to each classroom for that five minutes in between," she said.

"That's unrealistic. So then, is that going to fall onto me as a teacher?"

Staggered recess, modified entrances

The provincial guidelines that were released in June outline a number of measures that schools will be expected to follow. 

Recess and snack times will be staggered throughout the day to avoid crowds, and entrances and exits into the building will be modified to promote physical distancing.

It also said a special procedure will be developed by school boards to check for students who show symptoms of COVID-19, although temperature checks will not be introduced.

The Chief Medical Health Officer for Saskatchewan Dr. Saqib Shahab ​​​said the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks in schools are low and stressed that the symptoms are mild in children. 

While Education Minister Gordon Wyant has said online learning will be an option for students, Zubko worries that task will be left up to her to provide.

"It's going to be an incredible amount of work on a day to day basis to try and make this happen," she said.

"There are way more questions than what is clear and what we know right now."