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VANCOUVER – The BC Teachers’ Federation has created new campaigns to increase the use of face masks in BC classrooms.
The BCTF took matters into their own hands after provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry excluded schools from the new BC mandate.
On Saturday, the teachers’ union posted on social media calling for parental help to help promote a “culture of wearing masks”.
The tweet reads, “We need to do everything we can to make sure we keep each other safe. By talking to your kids about wearing masks, you can make a big difference.”
The appeal comes after multiple COVID-19 complaint letters were sent to BC families on Saturday, including for five schools in Surrey: Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth and Enver Creek Secondary Schools, as well as Walnut Road and Coast Meridian Elementary Schools. .
Rani Senghera, of the Surrey District Parents Advisory Council, said parents want to help teachers.
“Parents wanted masks to be mandatory in schools as well,” he said. “I think it’s important to start at home because parents are probably the biggest influence on their children.”
Senghera said the PAC recently conducted a survey of nearly 3,000 parents and found that 60% of them believe children of all ages should wear masks, while 15% believe it should only be for those in fourth grade. and above, and 5% think it should only be for secondary school students.
About 20% believe the current plan is sufficient.
Calls for a masking mandate from teachers and parents are not new, and Henry defended his decision to exclude schools from the new policy when he announced it on Thursday.
“Schools are not public, open spaces, you cannot enter a school,” he said at the time. “I wouldn’t wear a mask sitting in my office. We don’t expect children to wear masks sitting at their desks all day. “
Julia MacRae, of the Surrey Teachers Association, said teachers are concerned about contracting the virus in schools and believe masks should be mandatory.
“We want to be safe at work and therefore it makes no sense to us that with such a large group of people in relatively small spaces, it would be different from other buildings,” he said.
Currently, students are required to wear masks in common areas, such as corridors, but they are not required to wear them while in class.
In response, the BCTF has also created a new poster for teachers to be placed in classrooms which reads: In this class, please wear masks.
“The school system has been completely reorganized into cohorts, but this is not a prevention plan, but a contact tracing plan. What we want is a prevention plan, ”McRae said.
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