As Whitehorse families prepare for the first day of school tomorrow, parents and critics are expressing concern that the operational plans are lacking important details. 

“Right now, it feels a little bit like we’re an experiment, and no one really wants to have their children in an experiment of this kind,” Angela Drainville told the Star this morning.

Drainville has two children attending Porter Creek Secondary School in Grades 9 and 12 respectively. She said the operational plans, provided to families last week, have left many questions unanswered.

“What we received was a school-based adaptation of the recommendations that were put forward (by the chief medical officer),” Drainville said.

“We got a lot of ‘six feet apart, sanitize at the door,’ which is fine, but really missed the mark on a lot of stuff we really wanted to know.”

Drainville said she’s concerned that the school plans don’t feel fully “flushed out,” causing apprehension in her children.

“I think there is some anxiety coming from our house on the Grade 12 end, quite a bit of it, but not just our house – I don’t think we’re unique that way.”

The operational plans for high schools describe half-day schedules for Grades 10 to 12 students. Students will attend either two classes in the morning or two classes in the afternoon, with that schedule swapping in the second semester.

“Grades 10-12 students will still learn the full curriculum for their courses and be expected to complete their coursework during the half days that they are learning away from school,” the Porter Creek operational plan states.

Drainville said she would have preferred more clearly outlined expectations for students attending half-days, as her child readies to learn remotely without clarity on what that will look like.

“I know my Grade 12 student is feeling very anxious about the school year,” Drainville said, noting that a main source of concern is learning remotely.

“I think he’s also feeling very angry that his education has been viewed as less important than other things, including the education of everyone under Grade 10.”

The school plans promise space for students to complete their coursework outside of the classroom.

At Porter Creek Secondary, teacher-supervised study halls will be made available to students both virtually and in-person. A “Learning Support space” will be established on a drop-in basis.

Vanier Catholic Secondary School will host an off-site study hall in the basement of Riverdale Baptist Church, and students are invited to spend a portion of the school day outside of classroom time there.

The operational plans include some guidelines for electives and extracurriculars.

High school students are instructed to use personal technology devices for learning if possible and not share school supplies.

Recess breaks and gym classes will take place outdoors. Music and cooking classes will continue, but woodwind and brass instruments are not allowed.

The operational plan for Golden Horn Elementary School describes staggered recess and lunch times.

Parents are instructed not to enter the school when picking up or dropping off their child, and must schedule an appointment before entering the building. 

The operational plans are receiving some criticism from Opposition MLAs.

Kate White, the leader of the NDP, told the Star this morning the rush to develop the plans put unfair pressure on school staff.

“Right now, I’m hearing from educators that they feel they’ve been let down by government; they’ve been left to pick up the pieces and figure it out,” White said.

There are still unanswered questions about the readiness of the Wood Street Centre, where Grade 8 students will be attending classes, White said.

There also hasn’t been confirmation that schools will have masks ready for students, as recommended by the chief medical officer last week. (The Department of Education could not provide that information before press time this afternoon.)

White noted that schools were not provided any extra funding for COVID-19 preparations.

“I know many of those teachers have spent money out of pocket to get their classrooms ready,” White said.

She expressed confidence that educators are doing their best to prepare for the school year under a tight budget and time constraints.

She said she wishes the government had pushed back the start of the year to give staff more time to prepare a robust plan.

“I think about parents reading the article this afternoon as their kids go back tomorrow, and I want to talk about solutions and I want to talk about positives, and that’s really tough,” White said.

“We have phenomenal teachers, we have phenomenal principals, but all these changes schools were expected to do is coming out of their budget and the Yukon government is not putting the resources to schools as I would expect in these circumstances.”

Scott Kent, the Opposition’s education critic, told the Star last Friday that he’s fielded several concerns about a lack of communication and clarity.

He noted that some of the plans appear to be “very low on details” and leave parents with questions about the health and safety of their children. Parents are still wondering how half-days, transportation and study halls will work.

Kent is calling on the government to hire more teachers and custodians, as well as provide schools with extra funding.

“I’d like to get a better sense of what additional resources are going to be invested in the schools for this year,” Kent said.

Teachers are also unclear on the plan for schools, including what expectations will be for at-home learning for Grades 10 to 12 students.

Kent said he’s heard from teachers who are unsure whether they’re expected to teach online as well as in the classroom.

“It’s an unfortunate let-down on communications,” Kent said.

“We are where we are because of the Liberal government and the (Education) minister, and now we’re going to have to make the best of it.”

Drainville said she is encouraging her Grade 12 student to make the best of this year, despite the half-time schedule.

“I keep telling him to do what he can to have a positive attitude, but he’s going back a little bit disheartened,” Drainville said.

“It’s going to be an interesting roll-out tomorrow to see what it actually looks like.”