Sask. parents say they want province to take action against Omicron transmission in schools

On Wednesday the province released guidelines for parents and schools to follow in the event of COVID-19 transmission, but some parents say they aren't enough. 

They say they want a plan and restrictions in place to slow the spread of the Omicron variant. 

Unlike all other provinces, in-class learning will continue in Saskatchewan amid surging COVID-19 cases.

Tenille Lafontaine is a Regina mother of three and says that even though they went, she was not comfortable sending her children back to school earlier this week, despite them all being fully vaccinated.

She says the provincial COVID-19 press event about schools on Wednesday was disappointing. 

"The term that was used a lot was 'disruptions in the classroom,'" she said. "I think that our government should call it what it is. It's not a disruption in the classroom. It is children infected with COVID. And words matter because that's the truth."

Lafontaine says she wants to see a provincial plan that lays out exactly what will happen if Omicron case numbers surpass a certain point. 

"We're watching numbers, we're watching hospitalizations. But as parents, we don't know going from one day to the next ... is there going to be an announcement? Do we need to plan to have kids at home?" said Lafontaine.

"So I would like to have some thresholds listed so that we have some numbers to watch and we have some sense of understanding of when things could change."

In the meantime, the province is asking staff and parents to report any positive test results to the school, whether it's with a PCR test or a rapid test.

Lafontaine doubts all parents will self-report. 

"If a family is unvaccinated in January 2022, I don't hold out hope that those same families will self-report ... that they'll even take a rapid test to begin with."

The province says schools will send a notification to parents if a child is considered a close contact. But the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) says that is a lot to put on the plates of schools. 

"It's a complete recipe for disaster. Staff is going to burn out quickly," said Patrick Maze, president of the STF.