Regina students and staff return to the classroom

Class is in session once again for Regina students in both the public and Catholic school divisions.

Remote learning started on Dec. 14 for students and teachers in Regina. Both school divisions cited reasons like higher COVID-19 transmission rates in the city, decreased student attendance and trouble with getting substitute staff.

Now, both school divisions are looking at the return to the classroom as a fresh start.

Domenic Scuglia, director ​of education with Regina Catholic Schools, is hoping for the remainder of the school year to go smoothly.

“I think we’ve passed, for the most part, the hurdle of the pandemic and I think for the most part, people are happy for the return to the classroom,” Scuglia said. “The pause that we’ve had for now almost a month was very beneficial for us. We should see that cases will be more manageable for us.

“I know a lot of our staff are really looking forward to having their kids back in class this Monday.”

Terry Lazarou, supervisor of communications for Regina Public Schools, had the same message.

“The school division is confident that the two-week, temporary online learning contributed to helping keep students and staff safe during and immediately after the holiday break,” Lazarou wrote in an email to 980 CJME. “We remind all school families that health and safety protocols will continue to be in place.”

Scuglia described new measures that are in place for the Regina Catholic School Division in the return to the classroom, adding that improved health and safety protocols will have a huge impact in the classroom.

“Staff will be wearing new surgical grade masks, worn in conjunction with a medical shield and with new appropriate training measures,” Scuglia said. “A staff member who’s in close contact in the school will not have to go into isolation assuming that they followed the protocols outlined with wearing the mask, wearing the shield and having completed the training that will be taking place.

“There will be more information coming out to us within the next couple of weeks. I’m optimistic that 2021 is going to be a better year for Regina schools.”

These new efforts will hopefully reduce the number of isolation cases for staff, according to the Catholic school division.

Parents we spoke with were just as happy for their kids to be returning to the classroom, citing it as a “huge weight” off their shoulders.

“We are super happy that our kids are going back to school. We actually were worried that the schools would change their minds,” said Charlotte Schachtel, who has two kids in the public school division. “Teachers have been doing amazing with the resources they have had, but they’re way more experienced at teaching the kids than we are so it’s a huge relief.

“The schools themselves have been doing as much as they possibly can to keep the kids safe, and I believe they have done a great job.”

Parents like Schachtel are hopeful that in-class learning will stick, as she hopes her kids will not have to return to remote learning.

“Remote learning has been very tough, It’s a very different form of education,” she said. “We are super happy to get some routine back.”