The president of the Yukon Teachers Association expects that returning to school this month will go smoothly.

Ted Hupé said in a recent interview the last school year was hard but successful in terms of dealing with the pandemic. He expects it will be the same for the upcoming school year.

The Yukon government has said students will not be required to wear a mask in the classroom.

Students five years old and older will, however, be required to wear a mask in all common areas outside the classroom, such as in the hallways and foyers.

“Physical distancing, hand washing and other hygiene practices, and staying home while sick will still be part of the school year,” says a government press release issued earlier this month.

“The stop light assessment tool is being revised and will be made available before schools resume.

“Central administration staff will support school administrators and school councils to develop operational plans for individual schools that ensure all students can return to in-person.”

The release says continued learning for all students has been a priority since the beginning of the pandemic.

Hupé said not much has changed since the end of the school year in June, according to what Education Minister Jeanie McClean has said.

Ensuring there are enough substitute teachers available to fill is of the utmost importance, he said. Students were impacted last year by the shortage of substitutes, he added.

There was a lot of teaching staff forced to stay home because they were parents or had showed virus symptoms, he pointed out.

Like many others, Hupé encouraged more people to get vaccinated, as the vaccination is the best method of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

He said he met Friday wth the deputy minister of education to discuss the return to school.

It was agreed, Hupé said, that increasing the rate of vaccinations is the best tool in the took box.

School buses will be operating normally, with required mask use for all drivers and riders aged five and older.

“While health and safety concerns are paramount, continued learning for all students has also been a priority since the beginning of the pandemic,” the Education minister said last week.

“Thanks to the tremendous efforts of educators, support staff, administrators and Yukoners’ overall willingness to get vaccinated, the Yukon was one of the few jurisdictions that kept K-12 schools open and operating safely throughout the 2020–21 school year.

“I am confident our learned experience coupled with guidance from the CMOH (Dr. Brendan Hanley) have prepared us for a safe return to school this fall.”