The province is putting another $14.3 million into schools across Nova Scotia.
Announced today, the funding will go towards food security programs, new PPE, math and literacy programs and touchless water stations installed in schools across the province.
As part of the federal Safe Return to Class fund, the money will see $500,000 used to meet the increased demand for the existing School Healthy Eating Program, and $1 million to support an Emergency Food Response Fund to quickly respond to the food needs of students if at-home learning is implemented.
Another $2.7 million will also go towards more testing and potential maintenance of ventilation systems in schools.
This includes older schools with a passive ventilation system requiring the opening of doors and windows, said Zach Churchill, education and early childhood development minister.
“We’ve consulted with Public Health on ventilation,” he said, “Their advice to us with all of our schools, even in schools with passive ventilation, is that’s sufficient as long as everything is functioning as it should.”
Also included was $4.1 million for three new online math and literacy programs for students, providing students from grades primary to 10 with access to them at home and in school, as well as $700,000 to assist in the transition to a blended learning model if needed.
However, the plan at the moment is to keep kids in school as long as they can, said Churchill.
“We heard from close to 30,000 parents and students coming out of last year’s lockdown that a big chunk of them had a very difficult time learning from home,” he said.
“We’ve seen that some students have fallen behind this year, so, so long as the epidemiology of the virus allows us to keep our kids in school, that is going to be our priority.”
He said proper physical distancing isn’t possible in schools with all students present, as there is not enough room to provide the needed two metres of spacing.
“We would need half our students to be home, if were going to move to a fully distanced model,” said Churchill.
“This is why we have all the other precautions in place. Our goal is to keep our kids in school because we know they are going to do their best there.”
Churchill said the province is open to shifting the model to a blended or at home model if the epidemiology of COVID-19 changes in the province.
While students remain in school though, $1.5 million is being spent for new masks and hand sanitizer for staff and students, and $3.8 million for the installation of touchless water stations in each school, around 950 in total.
So far, five schools have seen a small number of cases pop up, but overall Churchill said schools and the province are handling the second wave well.
“It is looking like it is working during this second wave,” he said.
“Speaking on behalf of the education system, I think our teachers, principals, cleaners, support staff and our students should be proud, because it seems as though everyone is doing what they can to keep everyone else safe from the virus.”
A full read of the announcement can be seen here.
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