Parents in the North Okanagan are upset with their school district after some teachers have been let go.
“It doesn’t make any sense. It’s complete backwards thinking considering we are supposed to have social distance,” said Amber Bramble, a North Okanagan parent.
They are saying with class room sizes increasing, it raises the chance their kids could bring home COVID-19.
“It’s a huge deal. A lot of these parents have to work and if the kids bring home COVID-19, everyone has to take two weeks off of work,” said Bramble.
“It’s a problem for the teachers, it’s a problem for the kids and the parents.”
School District No. 83 North Okanagan-Shuswap says the staff reductions are in part due to lower than expected enrolment numbers.
“This year, we have had additional volatility in our enrollment, and we were forecasting surpluses in the range of 12-18 teachers, given our district budgets and typical ministry enrolment procedures,” said Peter Jory, School District 83’s superintendent.
Overall, three teachers have been removed from School District 83, one teacher from M.V. Beattie Elementary, one at Shuswap Middle School, and the last from Highland Park Elementary.
Bramble says she’s heard the chatter online about how other parents are feeling in her neighbourhood.
“There’s a lot of anger and disappointment. Parents are very upset their kids don’t get to be in the class they are hoping to be in.”
It is unknown if more teachers will be let go in the coming weeks.
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