Since the end of October, there have been at least 14 schools across the Central Okanagan with positive cases of COVID-19.
It’s a trend that has the Central Okanagan Teachers’ Association (COTA) increasingly concerned.
“The exposures are coming faster than we can keep up,” said COTA president Susan Bauhart.
While transmission within schools is still considered low risk, Bauhart fears that it’s just a matter of time before that changes.
“It seems at this point that all transmissions are coming from the community into the schools but it’s not going to stay that way I’m pretty sure,” Bauhart told Global News.
“There will be school-to-school transmissions and then the challenges will be even more.”
Bauhart said teachers want to remain in classrooms teaching, but they want to do so in a safe manner.
She pointed to possibly mandating masks being worn in classrooms as one option to enhance safety.
“Masks is the big debate,” she said. “Masks are being used in crowded areas, but not in the classrooms.
“If it really starts to pick up to the point where there’s so many exposures, maybe that is where we are going to need to go.”
In addition to masks, Bauhart said that physical distancing concerns also need to be addressed.
“Especially in our high schools,” Bauhart said. “Because our grade 10,11, 12s, these are adult-sized people and you have 30 in a classroom, it does not allow for physical distancing in a good way.”
The government has said it does have a plan in place should things go from bad to worse.
According to the B.C. Ministry of Education, there is a five-stage approach to operating schools depending on the risk of transmission.
The plan outlines how operations would change if necessary.
School districts across B.C are currently under stage two, which is full-time, in-class instruction.
A move to stage three would provide in-class instruction for children of essential workers and those with disabilities or needing additional support.
School density would be reduced to 50 per cent capacity, meaning all other students would do online learning with a possible mix of some in-class instruction, if space allowed.
At stage four, school capacity would be further reduced to 25 per cent while stage five would see in-class instruction suspended for all students.
Click here for more information on the government’s five-stage approach.
While preparations are made to make operational changes at schools if needed, Bauhart said the community can play a major role in ensuring schools not only remain safe but open.
She made a plea to everyone to follow public health orders and guidelines to keep all students, teachers, support staff and administrators safe.
“Please, we want our schools open,” she said. “Please listen to the public health officer.
“If kids are to be in school, which is right and the right place to be, we have to get control of this virus spread in our community.”
Bauhart also commended all teachers for their work during these extraordinary and challenging times.
“It’s remarkable the way they have carried on through June and came back in September, adjusted to all of the challenges and still continue,” Bauhart said.
“I take my hat off to every single one of them.”
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