UPDATE:

It has been announced this evening that the Southeast Cornerstone School Division will be implementing Level 2 guidelines for the beginning of the school year. This will include mandatory masks for Grades 4 through 12 when riding the bus and when using common areas. Masks will also be mandatory for Grade 9-12 in areas where physical distancing isn't possible.

Parents and students in Weyburn are beginning to gear up for a new school. However, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, you can expect several changes to how school would normally operate.

"As many would be aware, we received our plan in late June and have done some work over the summer months and then again some finalization that we are working on presently," said Director of Education for Southeast Cornerstone School Division Lynn Little. "So there are multiple components to the return to school plan, all of them which center on preparations to minimize transmission. There are pieces within the plan from increased hygiene and teaching hygienic practices to limiting physical contact and increasing social distancing, restricting shared material usage, procedures for illness and care, extra cleaning in the facilities, transportation, supporting mental health, so all of those pieces have a little bit of variation that folks will see and notice when they come into the schools in the fall."

The plan also takes into account keeping students among the same cohort.

"In the spring we were working with school administrators and they have been working diligently over the summer to reschedule their programs so that we can keep cohort students together as much as possible for greater lengths of time to minimize times when cohorts would interact," said Little. "So they won't be moving around as much among each other and they'll also be staying together as much as possible as a group of students."

Little noted that this plan will look different based on the school.

"You'll notice that more in our larger schools where there are greater numbers of students that are moving, who typically change cohorts. So those will look quite different than they have in the past," she said. "In an elementary school, the classes traditionally stay together as a cohort with typical a teacher, so there isn't as much variation in that that you'll see other than times like going in and out for recesses and hallway entries, etc. So we'll be limiting, staggering, those entries and exits so there isn't congestion in the hallways or congestion in the entry ways."

She added that students will remain in the same cohort on playgrounds, rotating through specific areas such as playground structures.

There will also be increased signage in schools going over specific guidelines, hand washing procedures as well as arrows to help direct traffic. Shared materials will also be limited and hand sanitizer will be readily available.

"Each class in school will be equipped with hand sanitizer, in the entry way and in all of our classes," Little commented. "We're waiting for that arrival materials to come so they're not officially hung yet but they're on their way."

There will also be a number of changes to transportation, including increased cleaning and no guest ridership.

"Parents are asked to consider transporting their children to school, if they are able," said Little. "For those who will be travelling on the buses, students will have identified seating plans, they'll be seated first with their family members and we will load from the back of the bus to the front. What will be a little different there is we will also be keeping attendance on the bus for the purpose of contact tracing."

She also mentioned that in both Weyburn and Estevan, city routes will be eliminating their second run and will be limiting their ridership.

"We'll be implementing a 1 kilometre ridership zone," she said. "So those folks that live within 1 km of the school will be asked to walk to school or have parental transportation. Busing will be available for those outside of those distances."

She also noted that members of the public are asked to not enter the school. You can read the full back to school plan here.

Little also noted that they will be offering three different learning options. Those include regular in person schooling, Cyberstone virtual schooling or homeschooling.

"If families will be attending in person, chose to attend physically in the face to face school, at the school that they were previously registered in, so where they attended last year, that registration is sufficient, there's no new registration that needs to be required. If families are moving to a Cyberstone virtual school, which is now K-12 for perhaps the immuno-compromised or for comfort level, whatever that happens to be, then there is a registration form that can be found online at www.secpsd.ca and there is that form that is there. If families are choosing to home school, the process for homeschooling is also there."

Little also noted that, despite the amount of effort that has gone into the current plan, the situation could change at any time.

"I think it's important for all of us to understand that it evolves and it evolves because we're learning more about transmission and more about what works and doesn't work from other jurisdictions, not only across our province but outside of our province and outside of our country," she said. "I know that the Chief Medical Officer and their team is constantly studying those pieces and so we expect that there'll be changes as we work through and we just take that guidance as it comes."

She also mentioned that, although they are paying close attention to the plan provincially, they are also keeping a close eye on what's happening directly in the Southeast.

"We'll be working closely with our local health authority and preparing procedures and communications specific to our area and our context," she said. "It's not necessarily that the whole province will respond in the same way at the same time in terms of if there happens to be an outbreak, etc. That'll be more localized and so we're working with our local health authority on that, we're staying in close contact with our Holy Family partners so we're consistent between our school divisions and I have always appreciated our work with them. Our plans are extensive, their aligned with the Chief Medical Officers guidelines, that's all be approved and these guidelines are developed to keep all safe and reduce transmission. There's always going to be some risk but we will do our best to mitigate, as much as possible, all that we can and we're really excited. We're excited to have the students and staff returning. We know that there will be some apprehension from many and we've developed processes to address the anxiousness."

Little also encourages residents with questions or concerns to contact her, or any member of the school division, so they can be addressed.

"We just ask for patience and to work with us as we work to keep everyone as safe as possible."

School in Weyburn begins September 1st.