independent and associate schools try to go 'above and beyond' for covid-19
5 minute read
starla nistor, principal of regina huda school, sits in a desk in one of the school's classrooms in regina, saskatchewan on august 20, 2020. at her feet is a piece of butcher paper, which the islamic school will be using as a disposable prayer mat for students to help protect them during the covid-19 pandemic.
brandon harder
/
regina leader-post
when the call to prayer sounds over the classroom intercoms at regina huda school, sheets of butcher paper will roll out toward mecca, between the desks, row by row.
principal starla nistor has 1,371.5 metres of paper ready for back-to-school next month. it sounds like a sizeable stockpile of disposable prayer mats. but with more than 500 students and a one-time use policy, nistor knows the school will tear through a lot more rolls before the pandemic is done.
“we bought five to start,” she said. “to be honest with you, i don’t even know how long that’s going to last.”
as an islamic institution, the huda school has sought creative ways to preserve its rituals under covid-19 restrictions. in normal times, nistor looked on as hundreds of students filled the gym and the multi-purpose room, worshipping almost shoulder to shoulder on long reusable prayer rugs. it was her favourite part of the day.
“i just love it,” said nistor. “it’s just so peaceful.”
but the rugs, the gym and the multi-purpose room are all out in the age of physical distancing. from sept. 8 on, students will pray in their classroom cohorts. it’s not the only adjustment forced by the rigours of infection control. before the pandemic, students would crowd into washing facilities to do a ritual purification known as wudhu. now, nistor will keep a careful eye on students, to make sure they keep their wudhu to small groups, five at a time.
advertisement
the idea of lining classroom floors with butcher paper came from the school’s president, ayman aboguddah. he said islam can be flexible when public safety requires it.
“that is a very islamic concept, that you do not jeopardize the safety of others because of prayers,” said aboguddah, who is also a doctor. “and we’re going all the way. if necessity we will say no prayers at the school — you do it at home.”
the huda school is just one of regina’s associate, independent and historical schools that are devising innovative back-to-school plans to address their specific risks, needs and traditions. sometimes, that means going above and beyond what the ministry of education requires.
nistor explained that masks will be mandatory for every single grade level at the huda school, from pre-school to grade 12. one generous parent donated 5,000 masks. students will also have access to face shields. teachers will wear transparent masks so students can see their lips while they talk.
regina huda school is affiliated with regina public schools, and has to follow all of its covid-19 rules, at a minimum. but the huda school board can set even stricter measures. nistor is glad to have the flexibility.
advertisement
“because we’re an associate school, we have a little bit more wiggle room,” she said. “we felt like our parents wanted to make sure their children were safe, and we’re going to make sure they’re safe.”
kids at cornwall alternative school will learn in colourful bubbles
as an independent school, cornwall alternative school also has some leeway. board chair david halvorsen said the school’s smaller class sizes will keep its cohorts to about a dozen students, maximum. he called them “bubbles.” each one will be assigned colour co-ordinated masks to help ensure they keep apart.
“there’s absolutely minimal interaction between everybody,” he explained.
the school has budgeted two extra hours of custodial staff time for sanitation. cornwall plans to apply for a piece of the $40 million the province announced on monday to pay for that, as well as added supplies.
halvorsen is also calling for more support on testing. he was on the phone with the deputy minister of education this week to make a request.
“what i conveyed to him as i’d like my i’d like all of our staff to be able to be tested daily and have the results within 24 hours,” he said.
the province has promised an “aggressive” testing strategy targeted toward students and teachers, but has not released details.
advertisement
halvorsen said cornwall will be able to maintain two metres of spacing between students “with no problems at all.” that is not a requirement in the province’s safe schools plan.
“i know that we’re going above and beyond what they’re recommending,” he said. “we are an alternative school, with alternative students, and the last thing we want to do is lose a day of education because somebody made a mistake. we want to be ultra-safe.”
luther looking at stringent masking policy
luther college high school put out its plan two weeks ago. it will hold class sizes below 25. students and staff will wear masks when social distancing isn’t possible. the school is planning to add 15 extra hand sanitization stations. sinks, toilet handles and drinking fountains will be sanitized twice as often.
all parents, teachers and students will be notified in the event of a positive test, which would prompt the school to return to “full virtual teaching and learning.” any affected dorm would be quarantined.
but principal mark anderson said that plan remains fluid, and could become even more stringent. the school is considering making masks mandatory across the board, even when distancing is possible, with only a few exceptions like eating lunch.
advertisement
“unofficially, i would tell you that we’re leaning towards saying ‘you’ve just got to wear your masks the vast majority of the time,’ ” he explained.
anderson noted that luther has a special responsibility to maintain a safe environment, since as many as 80 of its 420 or so students live on site in dormitories.
“it’s especially incumbent upon us to take all safety precautions when we have people living here around the clock,” he said.
anderson also explained that class sizes will likely fall well below 25. the average was already 23, and he’s expecting it to fall further as international students face visa challenges and students with health conditions opt for virtual options.
“it’s going to be more like 17 or 18,” he predicted. “but even if it does go to 22 or 23, we’ve taken a whole bunch of precautions. one is we’ve purchased plexiglas dividers that will be placed between each of the students.”
he said the school is ensuring two-metre distancing between students “where humanly possible.”
“in our case, we obviously have adhered to what the ministry is asking us,” he explained. “but we’ve tried to go a little bit beyond that…
“we want to be able to say that we did all that was within our means to protect the safety of our students.”
advertisement
share story
