August 20, 2020 • Volume 35, No. 8
Next edition September 3
L’édition de cette semaine à l’intérieur...
Concern, confusion reign over COVID back-to-school plans By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star
With only two weeks left to go before the start of the school year, many Orléans families are still unsure about whether or not they want to send their kids back to class. Their reasons range from concern over the possibility of their children contracting the coronavirus to confusion over the back-to-school protocols being put in place by the area’s four school boards. Social media is awash with posts written by concerned parents. One local parent who posted her concerns on Facebook said she intends to keep her fouryear-old son home from Junior Kindergarten until the Ministry of Education and the school board figures things out. “Hoping they figure things out, but until they do I don’t feel comfortable with my son
THE BEST SHAWARMA IN TOWN! (Formerly Prince Gourmet Orléans)
NEW NAME. SAME PEOPLE. SAME GREAT TASTE!
in JK with 30 other kids and no one wearing masks. Just not comfy,” wrote A. Smith, who is a massage therapist. “(Plus) if one of my kids gets quarantined I can’t work.” It’s unclear how many parents will elect to keep their kids home, but judging by media reports and the number of posts on social media, it’s likely to be quite high, especially among elementary-age children. According to the provincial protocols, elementary-age students will remain with their classmates for the whole day including lunch and recess, but the average class size will remain at 30 students. The accepted social distancing requirement of two metres has been reduced to one metre. Even more concerning is the fact that face masks won’t be mandatory for students in JK to Grade 3 – they are, however, mandatory for students in Grade 4-8. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2