Saskatchewan education minister hoping for a ‘more typical’ school year

The beginning of the new school year is less than three weeks away, but it’s still not clear what that’s going to look like for students, teachers and parents in any given school division.

While staff at the school divisions are planning, the Ministry of Education released its “Safe Schools Plan” in July.

The plan states: “COVID-19 restrictions will no longer be in place and the 2021-22 school year will proceed as during pre-pandemic years.”

According to the plan, public health officials say it’s safe for schools to go back to traditional in-class learning without mandatory masking, physical distancing, or other COVID-19 restrictions.

However, according to the provincial health ministry’s July case numbers, “about a third of Saskatchewan’s cases were 19 years of age or under, and about 20 per cent were under 12, which is an age group that cannot be vaccinated at this time.”

That trend has continued into August as well, the ministry noted: “Almost one-third (31.1%) of new cases are in both the 19 and under and 20 to 39 years age category.”

Education Minister Dustin Duncan says it’s not too surprising, but there’s still time before school starts.

“We don’t know what to expect with this upcoming year,” he said. “We’re hoping it’s going to be a more typical school year than it has been over the last year and a half.”

For parents or students worried about the upcoming school year, Duncan would tell them everyone has learned a lot over the last year.

“I think that school divisions are working through the summer to develop plans for what will be, I think, more of a typical school year, but that remains to be seen in terms of what school divisions will decide to do,” he said.

“I think we all have to be flexible. I don’t think that anybody can predict the future.”

Duncan understands the uncertainty that students, teachers and parents have been dealing with over the last year, and acknowledges the impact on them.

“But I think we’re also seeing the resilience, though, of our students that have done a tremendous job and our teachers that have done a tremendous job supporting each other during the school year,” he said.

It’s expected that more details about back-to-school plans will be released by the school divisions in the next couple of weeks.