It’s a huge relief for teachers.
That’s what the B.C. Teachers’ Federation is saying following an announcement Thursday by the Ministry of Health that K-12 educational staff will be among the next priority groups to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
“Teachers, support staff, and other education workers have gone above and beyond every single day to make sure our students are safe. We have also done everything we can to make sure each other are safe, but, this virus has still found its way into our schools and classrooms,” said BCTF president Teri Mooring in a statement. “It has taken tens of thousands of education workers working in tough and stressful conditions to keep schools open, students learning, and parents working. Teachers and the schools we work in have played a critical role in ensuring a basic sense of normalcy for B.C.’s children and communities.”
Beginning in April, teachers and other front line workers in priority groups identified by public health and the COVID-19 Workplace Task Group will start to receive their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Earlier this week, the BCTF pointed to the latest data from WorksSafeBC which the teachers’ union said shows the importance of all students, including elementary school pupils, wearing masks.
The BCTF noted the numbers show significantly higher rates of occupational COVID-19 infection claims among elementary school teachers compared to those teaching in secondary schools.
The BCTF’s WorkSafeBC Advocacy Office advised all teachers working in a classroom environment where there is a “significant risk” of exposure to COVID-19 to work with their local union to file a claim with WorkSafeBC should they be diagnosed with the virus.
The government earlier this year announced that non-medical masks are required for all staff in all K-12 schools, as well as all students in secondary schools in all indoor areas, including when they are in their learning groups.
The only exceptions are when they are sitting or standing at their seat or workstation in a classroom, or when they are eating or drinking or if there is a barrier in place.
However, elementary school students are still not required to wear masks and it remains a family decision.
One of the concerns conveyed by the Delta Teacher’ Association president Susan Yao is that the Delta district does not have middle schools, which typically cover grades 6 to 8, which means the increased measures for those in grades 6 and 7 grades will not be applied in Delta.
Yao also noted that there continues to be concern about the inability to physically distance within classrooms, and, with the rise of virus variants, classroom densities need to be decreased.
The DTA has been urging parents to talk with their children about wearing masks at school.
