Connie Keating is the president of the New Brunswick Teachers' Association. (Photo: submitted)
New Brunswick teachers are ready to return to the classroom.
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development released their guidelines for the 2021-2022 school year last Friday, only weeks before students flood the hallways.
According to the President of the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association, understanding the plan for the upcoming school year has eased the anxiety many teachers are feeling.
“There’s a lot of anxiety within teachers not knowing what the direction of the school year would be, not knowing what it would look like,” said Keating, who also serves as the co-president of the New Brunswick Teachers’ Federation.
The NBTA began calling for provincial guidelines on August 1st, previously telling our news team that a lack of details was concerning.
Keating applauded the plan as it answered many of the most pressing questions, including how often High School students would be back at school and whether bubbles would remain in place for the k-8 levels.
The NBTA continues to examine the 14-page document and seek clarification on topics that are only briefly mentioned, such as mental health.
“Any additional resources put in place for wellness and mental health in the 2020-21 school year will remain available,” states New Brunswick’s 2021-22 Guidelines for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
“We’re looking for clarification to what exactly that means and what those resources are,” said Keating.
Due to the evolving and unpredictable nature of COVID-19, there remains a possibility that the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development will be forced to alter its guidelines to address the virus.
The only demand from the NBTA is that they are invited to the table to collaboratively discuss changes.
“We would remind decisions makers that stability in the system is crucial to the recovery of all of us getting through this,” Keating said.
