'It’s hard,' Ottawa students, teachers prepare to return to school on Monday
On Monday morning, Eide Laham will step back into the classroom for the first time in more than a month, but the return is weighing heavy on her.
"Going back to school it’s hard because it’s germs everywhere," the Grade 4 student continued. "At lunch everyone’s taking their mask off and even when the teacher’s telling you to stop talking they don’t, so you’re kind of spreading COVID, and even if they don’t have it you’re spreading germs, but at home you don’t really need to worry about that.”
Laham is one of thousands of Ottawa students heading back to the classroom on Monday, but the nine-year-old is concerned for more than her own safety.
"If I get COVID and I come home, I can spread it to my family and that’s not really good," she said.
It’s the same worry that’s keeping others - like Rylie Anderson - at home, continuing virtual learning, while cases and hospitalizations in the capital remain high.
“To bring COVID home, and just giving it accidentally to my parents because you know, they’re my parents and I love them," Anderson said.
The Grade 5 student and her family are choosing to continue virtual learning for the next several weeks until the COVID situation in the capital improves.
"I feel happy because then after I finish my work I can play video games, but I’m actually sad too because then I can’t see my friends," Anderson said.
In a letter to Education Minister Stephen Lecce on Friday, the Ottawa Carleton District School Board wrote its “greatest concerns” remain unaddressed and called on the province to reinstate contact tracing in school, provide N95 quality masks for students, and implement a “test-to-stay” program in schools.
"Families should not have to rely on uninformative absence reports or on community rumour to determine whether or not a child may have been exposed to COVID19 infection at school, or whether the risk of exposure to COVID-19 at a school exceeds their family risk tolerance in light of other family members who have unique vulnerabilities to the virus," OCDSB Chair Lynn Scott wrote.
Ottawa’s top doctor says students should wear three-layer masks, like those provided to the board by the province, and continue to rely on the protective measures already in place.
"This is going to be a transition period so we will need to understand this coming week how many children are returning to in-person learning, we’ll be watching all of these pieces of information as well as what is happening with COVID on the community level,” Dr. Vera Etches said.
Under the new provincial guidance, schools will not report COVID cases in the same way, but instead will track student absenteeism. The data will be publicly available and if 30 per cent of a school’s students and staff are absent the board will notify Ottawa Public Health.
Dr. Etches says OPH will also pre-emptively monitor the data.
"I can assure you that Ottawa Public Health will be monitoring this data source, we’ll be looking for anything that is signalling something, rapid change, something beyond what we would think is normal," Dr. Etches said.
Still, some teachers say they’re weary of the return to the classroom.
"I’m really walking into the unknown but I have to stay as positive as possible to maintain the best interest of my students which is really my responsibility as a teacher," Lisa Levitan, an elementary school teacher in the public school board, said.
"I did a little informal poll in my class, anonymously, and only three kids are feeling comfortable going back, out of 51, so I know that the kids in my class are feeling uncomfortable," Rachel Inch, another elementary school teacher added.
According to some educators, the new guidance is inadequate and there are concerns it could lead to an increase in cases in schools.
“It just seems inconceivable to me to think that COVID isn’t going to run rampant through the schools with the vaccination rates the way they are, you know, the safety measures just - washing our hands? It’s an airborne illness," Inch said.
Despite the concerns, teachers say they understand the importance of in-person but are unclear why schools were shifted online in the first place.
"The arbitrary decision to close the schools on Jan. 5, when there was 2,000 hospitalizations, and now we’re going back on Monday when there’s upwards of 3,800 people in hospital," Inch said.
"Remote teaching is exhausting, is exhausting, I don’t like it, but I don’t want to be sick and I don’t want to increase the load on the healthcare system, which I know is overburdened at the moment, I just feel like I have no choices," she continued.
With just two days before in-person learning resumes, some students also wishing they had other options.
“[I would prefer] staying home, on the computer,” Laham said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
BREAKING Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are moving on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.