View From the Legislature

Summer is not even in full stride yet but when it comes to preparing for the next school year, the planning is well underway. This planning is more important than ever as the province transitions away from at home learning to a return to in-class instruction.

Currently in Canada, there are only three provinces that have reopened their schools to allow students to return on some basis. Those provinces are British Columbia, Quebec and Manitoba. In Manitoba, the schools have reopened for small class activities and one on one assessments for students. These measures are being taken to both assist students and to help teachers in their preparation for the school year in the fall.

This past week I had the opportunity to visit teachers and students in schools in Winnipeg and Brandon. Overwhelmingly, I heard from teachers who were happy to have the chance to see their students again during the month of June and to reconnect. Students were appreciative of the opportunity to be back in school, even if only for a limited period, to get some guidance in preparation for the fall and to have some sense of closure of the school year. Meeting with principals and administrators from these schools it was clear the tremendous effort that has been undertaken by everyone involved to ensure that at home learning could be undertaken in the best way possible given the unique circumstances.

However, it was also clear that teachers and administrators are very much looking forward to a return to more regular classroom learning. That is clearly the goal of educators, parents and government officials. We also know that students are looking forward to being able to return to their schools. Manitoba Education will be taking advice from public health officials in terms of health guidelines and then looking to bring forward a learning environment that most resembles what students are accustomed to given these parameters.

As part of that preparation, and as part of the provincial Phase 3 re-opening strategy, an online survey for parents and students was launched earlier this week to seek input on a variety of topics related to the 2020-2021 school year. Teachers were surveyed on their experiences through cooperation with the Manitoba Teachers Society. The online survey for parents and students received an overwhelming response with over 25,000 surveys being completed within a couple of days.

Province’s have just begun to roll out directions for how they see the fall school year unfolding in their province. Those plans, while no doubt subject to change depending on the circumstances in each province, are important for preparations. The Manitoba government hopes to provide more specific direction about what the next school year could look like prior to the end of June following an analysis of surveys from teachers, parents, and students. Everyone looks forward to more fully welcoming students back to their schools in the fall.