Steveston-London math and science teacher Lisa Descary is not impressed with Richmond’s back to school plan, but she doesn’t blame the district as much as the provincial government.
Descary recently participated in a protest outside Health Minister Adrian Dix’s constituency office on Joyce Street in Vancouver.
She also organized a demontration at Queen Alexandra elmentary in Vancouver on Saturday where she said they got a great reponse from passers-by.
She, along with 35 other teachers, parents and students, was there to voice her concerned about B.C.’s back-to-school plan.
“It is going against everything that Dr. Bonnie Henry has told us we need to do to flatten the [epidemiological] curve,” said Descary, while holding a sign calling for smaller class sizes.
“Instead of less faces in larger spaces, it’s putting more student faces in poorly ventilated, under-funded, crowded indoor spaces, and I’m terrified.”
In fact, the Richmond district requested halving the size of Grade 8 and 9 classes, but the province refused, she added.
“I don’t know if parents realize, but there will be up to 30 students in some of those classrooms. It will be impossible to socially distance, and they won’t be wearing masks.”
Cohorts of 120 students may help with contact tracing, but will do little to contain the spread of the virus, she added.
Basically, it comes down to providing adaquate funding to make schools safe and listening to the concerns of teachers and parents, said Descary.
— With files from Mike Howell
