“We are trying to stay a step ahead of the government,” says Rob Buttars, director general of the New Frontiers School Board, noting that the board, principals and teachers are doing their best to reach out to families and students to ensure all are coping well. “It’s hard,” he admits, given that he knows how much the staff and teachers are starting to miss their students and colleagues. Many teachers continue to go above and beyond in communicating with their students through a variety of means, from emails and letters to teleconferences, along with sending out Education Ministry-approved activity packages and challenges each week.
Premier François Legault’s rather off-the-cuff suggestion on April 10 that schools might return before May 4 added another layer of uncertainty to an already difficult situation. A petition demanding the school year be cancelled began circulating soon after Legault’s comments (it now has over 240,000 signatures), and parents turned to social media in an uproar suggesting the premier was placing the economy over the safety of children and teachers. Legault spent days since then walking back his comments and reassuring parents and all those working in the education sector that schools will only be opened when it is safe for students to return, and that the decision will be based on health and not the economy.
“At some point they are going to have to make a decision,” says Buttars, who insists there has been absolutely no indication from the government so far about when the schools may be reopened, “but we are hoping to hear something soon.” In the meantime, parents who need to access the schools to collect essential items will likely be allowed entry into the buildings under strict measures as of sometime this week.
“The big thing now is to get help for the health care sector,” he says, suggesting a move by the government created a lot of anxiety when the possibility was floated that teachers in health care-oriented programs would be mandated to serve in the field as the situation in private seniors’ residences and CHSLDs continued to worsen across the province. “It was confusing,” says Buttars, noting that the CISSSMO had already reached out to a number of the board’s teachers and most were already working in the system. “It created a lot of anxiety,” says Buttars, who admits he was concerned about the government’s tone in requesting help.
The government instead extended an invitation to teachers and some students within the NFSB last week. In a letter addressed to students, Education Minister Jean-François Roberge assured students with an interest in helping with the fight against the virus that they would be able to work as orderlies. Any income generated would not be held against the students’ eligibility for financial aid during the following school year. Students with no more than the equivalent of one full-time session left before graduation would be eligible to fast-track their careers, under certain conditions.
The NFSB is especially pleased with the way all teachers and staff have been able to adapt and find innovative and creative ways of maintaining contact with students and the community. And, says Buttars, when the government does decide to reopen the schools, whether it is in a week or next September, the NFSB will be ready to warmly welcome the community back into its buildings.