Manitoba school staff preparing to welcome students back to class amid coronavirus

School staff across Manitoba are busy putting the finishing touches on classroom layouts as they prepare to welcome students back on Sept. 8.

At Winnipeg Mennonite Elementary and Middle School (WMEMS), staff have been preparing for months. Principal David Stoesz says welcoming students back to school in a limited capacity in June amid the coronavirus pandemic was a good test run for September.

“We already, at that time, started to prepare for what things would possibly look like in the fall,” Stoesz told Global News. “We’ve been at it all summer, to varying degrees, whether it’s our custodians or administrative staff and even teachers have been in and out throughout the summer getting ready.”

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At WMEMS, physical distancing markers have been put in the hallways, sanitizer has been placed at the doorways and inside the classroom, and desks are spaced six feet apart. Teachers have been de-cluttering and re-arranging classrooms to ensure there is space for physical distancing. The school has also put additional cubbies or lockers in the hallways, to free up more space inside the classrooms.

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“We wanted to be able to push our desks or tables out to the corners and have more space available to kids and we also took out any carpets, tried to reduce any unnecessary clutter in the rooms and trying to make sure that we have lots of easily cleanable surfaces in the classrooms,” Stoesz said.

The school has also ordered plexiglass barriers that will be installed at tables that are shared between students.

Students will also have their own individual supplies to avoid sharing. In cases where younger students share certain items, like books or toys, teachers are dividing the items into rotating sets. After being used, the items will be sanitized and shelved or quarantined for a period of time.

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Stoesz says part of the preparations also includes consistent communication with parents.

“By and large parents are very excited about bringing their kids back,” he said. “That said, there’s a level of apprehension, there’s new cases of COVID-19 in our province and in our city, so that brings some worry. Parents are concerned about masks, they’re concerned about how we’re going to be managing all of this in the school.”

It’s something parent Wendy Swanston is familiar with.

“I think any parent that went through remote learning is really excited to have the children back in class. Of course, we’re all a little scared, but what’s the alternative?” said Swanston, whose daughter will be starting Grade 5 at WMEMS.

“Certainly with numbers climbing it’s a bit of a concern, but you also have to take those statistics in context  — where are they occurring, are they within your community, your bubble — being mindful of those statistics and not getting swept up in any hysteria. We need to be able to find a balance — students need to be in school and parents need to be at work, and we have to find a way to live with it.”