Safe Schools, Successful Students Addendum: A Plan for 2021

In July, we released our Safe Schools, Successful Students plan to get our schools ready for the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We proposed 15 concrete recommendations that were informed by the feedback of nearly 14,000 Albertans. We had one goal in mind: safe student learning.

Unfortunately, the UCP government rejected the majority of our recommendations, including a provincewide cap of 15 students per classroom. We maintain this recommendation, although ambitious, was achievable with a combination of funding the hiring of new teachers and using space vacated during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as post-secondary classrooms.

As we enter the holiday season, Alberta has been hit hard by the second wave of the pandemic. Case counts have skyrocketed, and our schools have suffered.

To keep students learning safely in schools in 2021, the UCP government must learn from its mistakes. With in-person school learning delayed until January 11, now is the time for the government to take steps to ensure schools are safer when students return.

The Alberta NDP is putting forward this addendum to our Safe Schools, Successful Students plan. We propose four concrete recommendations that will help schools reopen — and stay open — in 2021.

 Four New Recommendations:

1. Dedicated School Contact Tracing Team
2. Hire Additional Educational Staff
3. Provide Rapid Testing for Symptomatic Staff
4. Create the Alberta Learn From Home Fund

Read the full addendum here: 

Safe Schools, Successful Students - Addendum December 2020

Read the original Safe Schools, Successful Students Report: 

Safe Schools, Successful Students: Report