A nearing deadline regarding home-schooled children during the coronavirus pandemic needs second thoughts, according to one Okanagan parent.
According to Roy Stanley of Kelowna, parents have to decide this week whether to continue home-schooling their children for the rest of the school year or send them back to class.
With coronavirus cases surging across B.C., Stanley says it’s unfair for parents to make a decision like that right now.
In the Central Okanagan school district, the deadline is Nov. 13 with a return-to-class date of Nov.15.
“We got really upset when they started telling us that in order to keep his spot in the French immersion school, he had to attend by November 15, which is unfair,” Stanley told Global News.
Stanley’s son, Bryce, 8, has been learning at home since the start of the pandemic in March.
“We have a little bit each day allotted with a virtual teacher in the virtual classroom,” Stanley said.
The family’s decision to keep Bryce – who has asthma — at home was health based.
“We don’t believe that the schools, to no fault of their own, are able to protect the children or their teachers,” said Stanley.
“They’re trying to social distance, but when you drive by the school at 3 o’clock, you know it’s not working and they can’t make it work. The kids are excited to be around their friends.”
Upset with the looming deadline, the family raised the issue with the school district and managed to secure Bryce a spot with a doctor’s note.
But the family fears for others who have chosen to home-school as well.
“We think there are a lot of people out there in the same struggle, and some are going to be intimidated to sending the kids back, even though they know it’s not the right thing to do,” Stanley said.
According to Central Okanagan Public Schools, only four per cent of the district’s student population is learning from home.
However, School District 23 superintendent Kevin Kaardal said accommodations are being made for certain students who have not returned to class.
“We are actually holding spots for students who have immune-compromised systems and provide that medical evidence,” Kaardal said.
“They will have their spots held in our schools because it may not be safe for them to come and learn in a larger community.”
But spots for those with no medical concerns cannot be guaranteed, meaning if those students want to come back to the school at any point during the school year, it will depend on space availability.
“It costs us double if we’re holding a place and offering an E-school system,” said Kaardal.
“Our principles are reaching out to each family to get them to confirm their choice and then when they’ve confirmed a choice, we will continue to deliver that service the way the family wants.”
Stanley believes the province should mandate that school districts hold spots for all students, regardless of their medical background.
“The province should be saying ‘If you have the ability to do this on your own, we’ll support you as much as we can.’ This is how we’re going to break the pattern,” said Stanley.