Flexibility, consistent learning keys to COVID approaches at school division level

Approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic have differed across the four major school divisions in Saskatchewan’s two largest cities, but the safety of all involved continues to be top of mind.

That was echoed across all four school divisions 650 CKOM recently reached out to, in both public and Catholic school divisions in Saskatoon and Regina.

“I think we’re very flexible and limber these days, that’s for sure. That has been, I think, the biggest lesson. As educators, we’re always looking for opportunities to grow in our knowledge,” said Twylla West, communications and media co-ordinator for the Regina Catholic School Division.

West said at the beginning of the pandemic, her school division hired a group of infectious disease experts to give the division a starting point in dealing with the unprecedented times.

In terms of what the school divisions have had to deal with, tons of adjustments and adaptations have had to take hold of operations.

“We can’t let our guard down,” Derrick Kunz, a communications consultant with Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, said in an emailed statement.

“The world has had to adapt as we have learned more about this new virus over the past year. School divisions are no different. We’ve developed very good, very valuable relationships with our provincial health professionals.

“Being able to lean on the health experts to make health decisions has been a real asset, and we’ll continue to rely on them to keep students and staff safe and healthy.”

The quick thinking when it comes to a positive COVID case impacting a school or classroom was also mentioned in an emailed statement from Veronica Baker, manager of communications and marketing at Saskatoon Public Schools.

“We work quickly and efficiently to get pertinent information to staff members, students, and families in the school. For months, this has meant responding to cases into the evening and on weekends to ensure we are sharing important information as quickly as we can,” Baker stated.

“Our response has certainly adapted as we have worked through the circumstances of the past year.”

All four responses from the divisions reiterated the learnings are ongoing in respect to the pandemic. Terry Lazarou, Regina Public Schools’ supervisor of communications, said it would be premature to provide any meaningful comments on how the division dealt with the pandemic.

“Any comments at this point would be based on speculation,” he stated in an email.

“Indeed, we are always learning from experiences and listening to parents and guardians, students and staff and to the public health experts on whom we depend for guidance … We just completed a public and employee survey relating to temporary, remote learning before and after the holiday break. Summary results of those surveys will be shared, once compiled.”

Another issue stated by West was not having a firm ending to the ongoing pandemic.

“We haven’t really been at a point where we’ve taken a time to reflect on anything,” she said. “God only knows how much longer this is going to last. We’re just doing our very best to react with the knowledge we have at the time of decision-making.”

She said this unique time has taught us all something. At the school division level, that includes more around hygiene, cohorts and proper mask-wearing.

Aside from that, though, comes the communicative side of learning. With many classrooms across the two major cities in Saskatchewan having to pivot to online learning at the drop of a hat, it has created different opportunities for staff and students.

“We’ve learned how to reach out to people during a time that we can’t reach out in person. We’ve learned to connect in new ways,” West explained.

The Government of Saskatchewan keeps a list of schools in which COVID cases have been reported. The latest list appears below.