Alberta parents, teachers' union question province's decision to resume in-person classes

Alberta parents are preparing to send their children back to in-person classes next week, some with reluctance and trepidation as the Omicron variant continues to spread quickly in community settings. 

Marie Watts, who has two teenagers in high school, one in Grade 9 and the other in Grade 11 in southeast Edmonton, believes sending kids back to the classroom isn't safe. 

With record-high cases and a high transmission rate of Omicron within the community, it's not appropriate to send children back to in-person learning next week, Watts said.

"I'm pretty angry about it actually," Watts said. "I'm concerned that we're just going to be putting a bunch of kids in a COVID soup and hoping it all works out."

On Wednesday Education Minister Adriana LaGrange and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said it's prudent to return to in-person learning and necessary for students' mental wellness.

Watts said classes are lacking high-quality air filtration systems and the province should be handing out the more effective N95 masks, instead of medical masks. 

Many children are feeling anxious, she noted. 

"The kids don't really want to go back but they need to finish school," Watts said Wednesday. 

Other families welcome the return in-person learning. 

Daynelis Brito's three children — aged eight, 10 and 12 — have been going to class since schools were allowed to reopen last spring. 

She said she trusts the schools will do their best to keep students safe.

"So far, there has not been much issue with the kids getting sick," Brito said. "And the kids are eager to go back to school."

Brito also believes the symptoms of the Omicron variant are mild and it's just a matter of time before it becomes more common in the community.

"All you have to do is wish for the best, because it's everywhere, right?"