Protest planned against pending education changes
A protest was set for late this afternoon in response to planned changes for the 2020-21 school year.
A protest was set for late this afternoon in response to planned changes for the 2020-21 school year.
It was scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. outside the Department of Education building, located near the Riverdale end of the Robert Campbell Bridge.
Attendees were invited to bring signage and encouraged to wear masks.
Students and parents want the Yukon government to walk back on its plans for this school year, which will begin during the week of Aug. 18.
The Education department announced July 9 that some students will see adjustments this year as part of the COVID-19 school plan.
To reduce crowding in schools, Grades 10 to 12 students in Whitehorse will only attend class for half the day, five days a week.
Grade 8 students will be moved to the Wood Street Centre, and the Wood Street Centre experiential programs will be shifted to available space in Porter Creek or F.H. Collins Secondary Schools.
The decision has led to widespread criticism from parents and students, who argue that Grades 10-12 students need to be in school full-time and the experiential programs won’t be effective in an alternative location from Wood Street.
The protest is planned following mass outcry on social media, with two Facebook groups attracting hundreds of followers and daily posts outlining parental concerns.
Parents are concerned that attending school half-time will result in high school students not receiving sufficient classroom time.
Many families noted that virtual learning was not effective in their household during the spring, with students losing motivation and falling behind on essential learning.
There has also been criticism about the lack of consultation regarding the decisions for this school year.
Current students and alumnae of the MAD theatre program have argued that the program can’t be effectively moved from the Wood Street Centre because it depends on the black box theatre and extensive equipment located at Wood Street.
The government has said that all experiential learning equipment will be moved to the programs’ new locations for this school year.
See letter.
Comments (2)
Up 14 Down 3
Change the plan on Jul 20, 2020 at 11:12 pm
Consult with parents, students and teachers! Why would DOE just try to push this through. My child needs to go to school full time for grade 10-12--online learning is a crock of #### and doesn't work for anybody. Wood St. programs need to stay at Wood St. Find another solution for the grade 8's for this year. Stupid decisions that are not thought through!
Up 11 Down 8
Adam Smith on Jul 20, 2020 at 9:25 pm
Good. I'm glad more people are realizing this virus is NOT something to be feared. Time to get back to normal. With this protest and the lawsuit trying to open up the territory, I actually have hope that the Libs can be stopped!