The heads of Chatham-Kent’s two largest school boards say they’re doing everything they can to keep students safe.
Director of Education at the Lambton Kent District School Board, John Howitt says they take physical distancing very seriously.
“Two metres is optimum, one metre is what’s required based on the Ministry of Education document,” Howitt says. But when it comes to pictures that have been circulating on social media of classrooms crammed with desks, Howitt says at least one was of a classroom as it had been left after last March.
He says at the high school level, board officials are still sorting out class sizes, and custodians only want to move the desks once.
Both the public and St Clair Catholic District School Boards have been working closely with public health to make sure students are as safe as possible.
“They have both shown great wisdom around us putting the best efforts in, around physical placement desks, through walk-throughs in our classrooms, et cetera,” Howitt says.
Even with kids moving around in classrooms, cohorting, or creating a social bubble out of each class, and other safety protocols like hand washing and sanitization will help to keep kids safe.
Meantime, the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit has updated its website to help answer any questions parents might have about a safe return to school.
https://ckphu.com/schoolscovid/
