Quesnel School District Superintendent Sue Ellen Miller says that is the plan right now.
Here, she talks about how that decision was made…
“We in Quesnel and all other school districts in the province take our direction from the Ministry of Health with the Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, as well as the Ministry of Education and in their discussions yesterday (Thursday), they indicated that BC schools plan to remain open after the spring break amid this coronavirus pandemic.”
Miller says the province is monitoring the situation daily and at this point she says their belief, and hers, is that schools provide a safe place for children…
“We are able to use some of the things that they are telling us around good health practices and we can try to ensure those things happen in schools, so many people wouldn’t be able to access daycare or other services that they may need for their children so at this time schools are planning to remain open.”
We asked Miller if she was concerned about students going away to other parts of Canada or BC and then coming back with the coronavirus…
“That is always a concern. I think one of the things that we’ve been advised again is when people travel it really is their requirement under this new advice from the Provincial Health Officer, that if they go to a place where they may be exposed that they are then asked to self isolate for 14 days, so that would be a requirement and the direction from the Provincial Health Officer. We would also hope that all of the families that are doing any travelling throughout Canada or other places in our province will actually heed that same warning, and make sure that they monitor themselves for the symptoms that we know of and then self isolate if they have any concerns.”
Miller says if people are concerned or unsure, they should call the provincial health line for advice.
She says the School District will also be taking extra measures during spring break…
“Our custodial staff will be doing a thorough cleaning and disinfecting of schools, and we’re also going to limit the use of the buildings for public user groups so we can be as prepared as possible when students return to school.”
Parents and students are advised to check the School District’s website for any updates prior to heading back at the end of spring break, as Miller says they don’t know for sure what will happen with the virus over the next two weeks.
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