A group will host an emergency rally this afternoon to protest the B.C. Ministry of Education's plan for students returning to school this fall.
After stating that the start of the school year would be delayed, the province said students would be welcomed back to class on Sept. 10. It’s part of an "orientation week" to allow students and staff time to orient themselves to new COVID-19 related safety measures.
Now, a group called SafeSeptemberBC is holding a rally to let the BCED decision makers know that the current plans for the school year are not "acceptable."
The rally will take place at Joyce-Collingwood Skytrain Station at 2 p.m. and the group plans to walk to Minister of Health Adrian Dix's office. They note that, "Masks and physical distancing protocols will be observed."
The group also encourages participants to bring sings.
Hope to see you soon! Meet us at Joyce Skytrain Stn. #Vancouver and we will be walking to Min. @adriandix office. Masks and physical distancing protocols will be observed. #ChangeThePlan #bced https://t.co/4OTxtXGC5C
— SafeSeptemberBC (@SafeSeptBC) August 13, 2020
For those who are unable to attend the rally, the group asks supporters to participate in a phone campaign during the rally time and call the offices of Dix, Premier John Horgan and Minister of Education Rob Fleming. They also encourage people to, "Drive by the rally and honk your support."
ATTENTION #bced FOLKS!
— Carrie Bercic (@CarrieBercic) August 13, 2020
Here's how you can support our rally even if you can't be there! Participate in our 1st phone campaign! Then tag who you called and use #SafeSeptemberBC & #ChangeThePlan hashtags.
Drive by the rally & honk your support.
Our voices are louder together. pic.twitter.com/nF9KKyrdCh
In a Tweet on Aug. 11, the group notes that, "Advocacy works! We can't let up now. Continue to write letters and push all decision makers to ensure a safe return to school that meets the needs of all.
"Let's continue to add our voices alongside teachers and staff who have led this charge for months."
Students will be back in school Sept. 10 to be assigned to their class, find out who is in their learning group, practice their new routines and familiarize themselves with how to safely move from the class to outdoor and common areas of the school.
The province said in July that “most students” will return to the classroom when schools re-open.
Students will be organized into “learning groups” of 60 students in elementary schools and 120 students in secondary schools.
School districts have been given until Aug. 26 to finalize their respective return plans.
- With files from Glacier Media and Alaska Highway News.
