Brandon School Division follows province’s lead on masks
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/03/2022 (1462 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Brandon School Division no longer requires its staff and students to wear masks.
Supt. Mathew Gustafson confirmed this fact during the BSD board of trustees regular meeting Monday night, mere hours before the Manitoba government was set to do away with these public health orders on a province-wide scale.
Instead, the BSD superintendent said that mask wearing will now be a recommended practice, which is a move that was approved by every trustee who attended Monday’s meeting.
According to Gustafson, BSD administration decided to take this approach after consulting with the province the previous week, with government officials providing them with additional information on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Gustafson said that BSD will also do away with a variety of other health measures as of today, including physical distancing requirements and the cohort system that has dominated day-to-day school life for the past couple academic years.
Despite this shift in policy, Gustafson assured members of the public on Monday that BSD is still keeping certain COVID-19 safety precautions in place to ensure the well-being of students and staff moving forward.
These measures include smaller class sizes, providing rapid antigen tests for those who are symptomatic and maintaining stringent cleaning practices for high-touch surfaces.
BSD will also continue to update its self-reported COVID cases and absenteeism rates online.
“Over the last two years, I think our success in keeping schools safe has been based on the co-operation and the empathy that our parents, students and staff have shown,” Gustafson said on Monday.
“And it’s my hope that as we move through this transition, regardless of how that looks, that we continue to have that co-operation and empathy.”
The BSD board’s announcement on Monday falls in line with the province’s overall plan to lift most remaining public health restrictions regarding COVID-19 starting today, with Health Minister Audrey Gordon stating on Monday that her administration is hoping to facilitate a transition to a “new normal.”
“This path forward will be different for all of us, whether we choose to wear masks or not, or how and when we connect with family and friends,” Gordon said in a news release. “Let’s be patient, thoughtful and kind to each other as we navigate this new normal together.”
BSD is far from the only kindergarten to Grade 12 school division to follow the province’s lead on this front.
Last week, the largest school division in Manitoba, the Winnipeg School Division, announced it is also planning to drop mask-wearing requirements in favour of recommendations.
In Westman, the Turtle River School Division followed in kind on Thursday, with Supt. Bev Szymesko telling local families in a letter that the division will also drop a variety of other COVID mandates outside of just mandatory mask wearing.
“As we move away from the COVID public health measures that have been in place over the last two years, let’s proceed with caution and care,” Szymesko wrote. “Please be kind and understanding to everyone as our community, home and school environment continues to change over the coming months.”
On Friday, Fort La Bosse School Division Supt. Barry Pitz sent a similar letter out to staff, students and parents in the Virden area.
However, not everyone believes that dropping all health restrictions at this moment during the pandemic is the right move.
Andrew Halayko, a professor who studies pulmonary health at the University of Manitoba, told the Winnipeg Free Press on Monday that these changes constitute an “unnecessary risk” in his mind.
“I lean toward proactive approaches, not reactive, so it’s not easy to think of any good reason not to wear a mask at this time — particularly in schools where vaccination rates are less than that in the general population,” Halayko said.
» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com, with files from the Winnipeg Free Press
» Twitter: @KyleDarbyson