SASKATOON — The union for Saskatchewan teachers is advising its members not to volunteer for extracurricular activities such as sports.
Patrick Maze, president of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, says those activities undermine efforts to keep students safe.
Those efforts include controlling the size of groups students move in, restricting travel and staggering class start times.
Deciding whether or not to proceed with such activities this school year has been left to each school division.
Teacher participation in extracurricular activities is strictly voluntary.
Maze says with the long gap since students have been in the classroom over COVID-19 fears, it’s most important for teachers to focus on learning and safety.
He says that will allow everyone to adjust to the protective measures the school divisions have put in place.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2020
The statement can be found here or on the STF website.
Quotes from the STF Statement:
“Our priority as teachers and community leaders is to ensure the safety of our students as our schools re-open,” said Patrick Maze, President of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation. “Significant effort has been undertaken to ensure safety of students such as cohorting, restricting travel and staggered start times. Providing extracurricular activities undermine these efforts.”
“It’s important to remember that when Saskatchewan students return to their classrooms on September 8, they will not have been in a classroom for over five months. Gaps in learning already exist at the beginning of a normal school year, and COVID-19 is only going to widen those gaps,” said Maze. “While we recognize the important role that extracurricular activities can have on students’ well-being, our priority has to be on their safety and education.”