The BC Teachers Federation is voicing concerns about how the pandemic has been handled in schools.
Federation President Teri Mooring fears teachers and other education professionals have to resort to ‘questionable’ posts circulating social media in the event of a school exposure.
She says they would much rather hear it from the experts.
“We understand that there is the protection of privacy, so it’s not disclosed who those individuals are (who test positive), We support that, of course,” Mooring told Vista Radio.
“We still think there is more information that can be provided to the school community that would really put people at ease.”
The lack of information from health officials, Mooring says, leads to questions from all sides.
“It makes folks wonder what’s going on. We are really seeing that, and so I sympathize because in health, it operates a little differently. But, in education we would just like a little bit more information, but still protect privacy,” said Mooring, a Quesnel resident.
In terms of the virus in general, the Federation would still like to see a stricter mask mandate and more physical distancing in classrooms.
“It is good that we are not seeing a really high number of in-school transmissions, but we are concerned about moving forward that isn’t going to stay the case,” she explained.
This is the same for all of #bced. School communities need clear and timely information to reduce anxiety and keep everyone safe. Teachers should also to be involved in contact tracing for school related cases. We know what is going on in our classes and can help. #bcpoli https://t.co/lEt9ldcvxy
— BCTF (@bctf) November 4, 2020