Alberta school districts not allowed to shut down in-school learning despite high absenteeism

New regulations mean Alberta’s school divisions will not be allowed to shut down school instruction despite high absences of respiratory disease outbreaks.

The province said students and parents are “guaranteed” access to in-person learning as of Thursday and students cannot be denied in-person learning by their school authorities because of their decision to wear a mask or not.

School districts must also continue to offer courses and “preserve the integrity of educational programming,” whether in person or at home.

These changes will apply to grades 1-12 in all school settings, including public and independent schools. In a news release Thursday afternoon, the UCP government said the change would create an inclusive environment and respect personal and family choices.

This comes after Alberta’s new Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Mark Joffe, warned parents about a flu season that could be “worse than we’ve seen in years”.

Alberta Health reported 3,648 laboratory-confirmed flu cases and 550 hospitalizations Thursday, including the second pediatric flu death this season.

1:40
Flu cases on the rise in Alberta

“Parents and students have told me time and time again that they want a normal school environment for their children,” Premier Danielle Smith said in a statement. “With this in mind, we have taken steps to protect and enhance educational choice.

“Families are free to make their own personal health decisions, and no matter what that decision is, it will be supported by Alberta’s education system.”

The government also said the new regulations would minimize potential learning loss. According to Thursday’s release, literacy assessments showed that about 70,000 at-risk students in grades 1-3 were 11 months behind grade level at the start of the 2021-2022 school year after 17 months of home learning.

The government also said the average learning loss fell to 3.7 months after assessment results from May to June 2022, as students returned to personalized learning.

“I’ve heard from parents and students that they want stability, and from school boards that they want clarity,” Education Secretary Adriana LaGrange said in a statement.

“Ensuring a face-to-face classroom environment means students can continue to learn successfully while allowing their parents to go to work. It will also help to maintain and improve students’ mental health, while minimizing students’ learning loss.”

1:49
RSV, other respiratory illnesses stressing Alberta Children’s Hospital staff and wait times

Education critic Sarah Hoffman criticized the government’s move, saying LaGrange and Smith have “no clue” about what’s happening in Alberta schools.

“We know that outbreaks of respiratory illness have been widespread this fall, causing intense stress and increased challenges for students, staff and families. School districts are struggling to staff classrooms as illness moves through students and employees,” Hoffman said in an emailed statement.

“It is totally unrealistic to expect school districts to be able to simultaneously staff in-person and online classes without additional resources. They are struggling to staff schools that have already received VKB cuts in the last budget.”

© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.