Parents come out of this first day of remote school out of breath and especially have their heads full of questions. The duty appealed to its readers to hear their concerns as most of the children entered virtual classes on Wednesday. Here are the questions that came up most often, and the answers provided by the authorities.
Can the government tell us how long distance education will continue to avoid last minute announcements?
At a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge, indicated that the government was still targeting a return to class on Monday, January 17. “Our plan A is open schools. […] If I am asked, I say: as quickly as possible, ”he said.
But the decision as to the date of the reopening of schools is a matter for Public Health, said Minister Roberge. At his side, the national director of public health, Dr Horacio Arruda, also indicated that he wanted to allow students to return to class “as quickly as possible”. But “in a period of COVID-19, 5 or 12 days, it’s an eternity, he qualified. We will see where we will be. “
Dr Arruda added that keeping schools open is “a very high priority” for Public Health, in particular because of the “higher negative impacts” for children of the closing of classes on the disease.
What conditions must be met to allow a return to class?
Several indicators will be monitored by Public Health in order to confirm or postpone the return to class on January 17. Dr Arruda said his team will monitor the evolution of hospitalizations and intensive care admissions. “We will look at the trend. The epidemiology specific to the Omicron variant will also be studied. “It seems that its severity is less, but the large number of cases can have an impact on the health care system. So it’s gonna be part of the elements [qu’on va regarder]. “
Public health will find it more difficult to trust the number of cases circulating in the population, since PCR tests are now reserved for health workers and at-risk clienteles and the platform for self-reporting a positive result for COVID-19 is is not yet ready. “But through the positivity rates of the PCR tests, you can make some estimates,” said Dr Arruda.
What measures will be put in place when returning to class to promote the safety of teachers and students? Is the return of class bubbles being considered?
Nothing was said at a press briefing on the class bubbles. Minister Roberge, however, announced that the procedural mask will be required at all times in school transport and in schools, both for teachers and for students, except during meals.
Students will no longer be limited to two masks per day, but may have three or even four. “We have learned over time that when masks get wet, they are much less effective,” said Jean-François Roberge.
Contrary to what was demanded by some teachers, they will not be able to have access to N95 masks, added the minister. Dr Arruda argued that according to public health experts, the N95 mask does not provide superior protection than the procedural mask outside of healthcare settings. “And to wear it all day, it’s excessively difficult,” he added.
As of January 15, school personnel will have access to PCR tests as essential workers, announced Minister Roberge. And teachers can already make an appointment to receive their third dose of the vaccine.
Will rapid tests be offered to all students when they return to class?
Yes. Minister Roberge announced that as soon as they return to class, the government will begin distributing 3.6 million self-tests to preschool and elementary school students. “We start again the operation we did in December by giving each student a box of five self-tests. Another distribution will take place in February. “In two months, we will distribute 7.2 million self-tests,” said the Minister of Education.
The aim will be to allow parents to test their children before sending them to school. “Self-tests help prevent the spread and outbreaks in schools, so we help keep schools open,” said Mr. Roberge.
If a student develops symptoms during the day, he can be screened at school, as has been done since last September.
Will there be enough teachers present in class for the return to school?
Unions say they fear a shortage of staff back to school as cases of COVID-19 multiply in the population. “In the balance of inconveniences, keeping all the schools closed with the problems that that entails, it is more damaging than going towards a reopening, knowing that it is possible that we have to close classes because the teacher is in preventive withdrawal ”, declared Minister Roberge.
Dr. Arruda clarified that the new measures announced by Quebec for workers who contracted COVID-19 will apply to teachers. If they are asymptomatic and doubly vaccinated, they can therefore return to work five days after having obtained a positive result.
Some students have a similar schedule as usual, while others have few hours of distance education. What are the minimum thresholds for distance education?
Under the minimum service offer decreed by Quebec, schools must offer first cycle elementary students (1st and 2nd year) 10.5 hours of instruction and 3 hours of self-employment per week. For pupils in the second cycle of primary education (3rd and 4th year), 13 hours of instruction is required, as well as 5 hours of independent work. And for the pupils of the third cycle of primary education (5th and 6th year), 13 hours of teaching and 7.5 hours of self-employment are foreseen.
“For the secondary network, we follow the regular schedule,” said Minister Roberge.
Does the end date of the first stage stay the same? Will the ministry’s reviews be maintained?
Some adjustments were announced on Wednesday. The date for the submission of the first bulletin, expected in January, has been postponed to February 11 at the latest, to take into account the distance learning period.
The education minister also announced that the ministry exams scheduled for January in some levels will be postponed to the weeks of January 24 and 31. “The ministry will make a public calendar shortly,” said Mr. Roberge.
Why is the government delaying action to improve air quality in classrooms, including installing CO readers2, air exchangers or air purifiers?
Minister Roberge announced that 50,000 air quality readers, commonly referred to as CO readers2, will be delivered to schools in the province by Friday and installed by the return to class. These readers will be intended for classes deemed “problematic” or “worrying”. “We’re talking about 10% of the classes that have been targeted. “
This delivery represents 54% of CO readers2 commissioned by Quebec. The rest should be distributed to schools in February. “It was a constant battle” to get their hands on their devices in a period of shortage of electronic components, said Minister Roberge.
Regarding air exchangers, the minister specified that “several hundred” devices have been distributed and that others “are available if school service centers request them”.
As for air purifiers, Dr. Arruda maintained that they are not favored by Quebec. “If they’re poorly maintained and in the wrong place, they may give the impression that it’s better, but that’s not what the experts recommend. “