Campbell River’s School District 72 administrative staff are in the same position as many school districts across the province after a Wednesday afternoon announcement from the Provincial Health Officer pushed back start times for the upcoming school semester due to skyrocketing COVID-19 cases.
They will be working around the clock to come up with a solution that keeps staff and students as safe as possible.
While more information on what that will look like is forthcoming, SD72 Superintendent Jeremy Morrow said having the upcoming week is helpful.
“It’s about taking a week to plan for keeping schools open the rest of the year,” he said.
The frequent challenges education professionals have faced since the beginning of the pandemic have been difficult, Morrow noted.
“It’s been fairly consistent since the beginning of COVID that it’s been during school breaks that there’s been a need for a change,” he said.
“So I’m very sensitive and aware of the fatigue in our system, and really appreciating the work that our teachers and support staff have done to keep our schools open.”
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School board chairperson, John Kerr echoed Morrow’s sentiment.
“We’ve had so many times where during holidays new information or new directives have come down, and it really puts a stress on an already stretched senior administration and school administration,” he said.
“They need their breaks like anybody else.
Kerr said a lot of staff are ‘running pretty close to empty,’ after dealing with the pandemic for almost two years.
“It’s not an easy profession to begin with, and it’s considerably more difficult when you add this complication into it,” he said.
For now, the district will continue to followed the direction of the Provincial Health Office.
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ronan.odoherty@campbellrivermirror.com
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