Omicron wave increasing strain in P.E.I. schools, say Opposition, teachers' federation
CBC
About 150 staff were absent from P.E.I. public schools on Tuesday.
That's what Education Minister Natalie Jameson told the legislature in response to a question from Opposition education critic Lynne Lund on Tuesday afternoon.
Jameson says staff from both the Public Schools Branch (PSB) and Commission scolaire de langue française worked until midnight Monday to ensure all vacancies were filled.
"This is the most challenging time we've had as an education system," Jameson said.
"We're four days away from March break. Everybody's going to need a deep breath and some fresh air … but we are getting through this. We haven't had to close down any schools."
And while no schools have closed, Lund said she still takes issue with the high absence rates. It's the second time she's raised the issue in the past week.
"The health-care system isn't the only system we have to be worried about overwhelming. We are hearing from teachers, we are hearing from educational assistants, we are hearing from people all through the school system who are very worried," Lund said in an interview after the exchange in question period.
"We are hearing of autism consultants who are being pulled from their work. We are hearing from occupational therapists who are being pulled from supporting students, from speech pathologists, from psychologists who are being told to cancel appointments with students so they can go sub."
As of Tuesday's reported numbers, about 1 in 36 Islanders currently have COVID-19.
Officials with the PSB said that further increase in COVID-19 cases on the Island is creating even more pressure when it comes to staffing.
So far this week, P.E.I.'s English schools have seen a staff absence rate of 16.5 per cent, compared with a typical rate of about 10 per cent at this time of year.
The PSB said an average of 17.8 per cent of students are not in class.
A typical rate of absence would be about 10 per cent.
"This is exactly what the Teachers' Federation warned about … they had said, if we don't take this seriously, we're going to see a system collapse," Lund said.
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