“i can’t emphasize enough the impact that the covid-19 pandemic, and specifically a lot of restrictions that were put in place, have had on the overall well being of children,” samson said in an interview.
“it’s time to get kids back to school.”
education and paediatric experts have warned of of a looming generational catastrophe among children whose academic progress, mental health and social development have been hurt by being forced to learn online at home for large chunks of the school year.
moore announced a change wednesday in the back-to-school plan, saying he had decided that high-contact sports such as hockey and basketball would be allowed indoors. the document released tuesday said they were restricted to outdoors.
the risks posed by the sports have to be balanced with the benefits of allowing students to return to a more normal school year, moore said.
moore said he wanted schools to remain open for the year and did not foresee a circumstance under which they would close. at the same time, the reopening plan calls for school boards to be ready to shift students to remote learning at home quickly if schools close.
students from grade 1 up will be required to wear masks indoors. the plan calls for adjustments to be made on pandemic measures like masking depending on the threat posed by the virus and regional differences.