The Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) is telling the the government that its school boards don’t yet feel safe enough to reopen schools.
In a collective position on behalf of its nine member boards, QESBA told the ministry of education on Friday that individual school boards will decide if and when each of their establishments will reopen, once they are sure that all safety conditions can be met.
On Monday, the Quebec government laid out its plan for the gradual reopening of schools across the province.
READ MORE: Quebec unions, parents raise concerns over back-to-school plan amid coronavirus crisis
Students in elementary schools and children in daycares will be able to voluntarily return to schools progressively throughout the month of May. Elementary schools and daycares in zones less affected by the COVID-19 outbreak will open on May 11. This does not include any schools or daycares in the greater Montreal region, which remains the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Then, if COVID-19 hospitalizations remain stable or decrease, elementary schools and daycares in the greater Montreal region will gradually open starting on May 19.
READ MORE: Coronavirus: What we know about Quebec’s plan to reopen elementary schools, daycares
As for high schools, they will remain closed until September and students will finish their academic year online.
“There are still far too many unknowns that compromise the ability to safely reopen,” said a statement from QESBA, which represents 340 education establishments across the province.
The Association said that the safety measures issued by public health required in order to reopen — reduced class sizes (maximum 15 students), two metre physical distancing, no group meals, enhanced sanitary measures and cleaning, a 75 per cent reduction of the number of children on school buses and no staff over the age of 60 — might not be possible in all schools.
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“We are convinced that the international health considerations cannot be met by the deadlines the government is imposing,” said QESBA president Dan Lamoureux.
A statement released by the English Parents’ Committee Association of Quebec (EPCA) said it was disappointed with QESBA’s position, saying many parents want the choice to send or not send their children back to school.
The EPCA said that 12 per cent of parents they surveyed were prepared to send their kids back to school and 23 per cent were undecided. The association added that 63 per cent of parents believe it necessary to have at least the option to do so.
Lamoureux however called the government’s strategy a “hastily announced plan” that the public does not feel confident about. He said the plan is also significantly raising anxiety levels among parents and teachers — noting the petition to halt the reopening of schools in Quebec that has widely circulated online
Global News has reached out to Quebec’s education ministry for comment.