NSTU Expects Operational Issues to Cause School Closures as Public Health Discontinues Contact Tracing

**** NSTU Release

NSTU Expects Operational Issues to Cause School Closures as Public Health Discontinues Contact Tracing

NSTU is concerned that the decision by Public Health to discontinue contact tracing in schools while at the same time declaring that it is safe to reopen to in person learning during the current wave of infection, will result in wide spread operational issues that will close schools with little or no notice.

According to NSTU President Paul Wozney, “Schools are where our communities come together. If our schools are vulnerable to COVID spread, by extension, so are our families, friends and the broader community. Our teachers and other educational workers have been on the front line of the pandemic working with the most vulnerable unvaccinated population in crowded classrooms, with questionable ventilation, no physical distancing and poor masking compliance,” says Wozney. “While I hope that I am wrong, the teacher shortage was making it difficult to maintain school operations prior to holiday break, and we expect it is only going to get worse until the current wave recedes.”

The NSTU has recommended, to ensure continuity of learning, that schools revert to remote learning next week to prevent further disruption to student learning. “It is hard to understand that other Atlantic Canadian jurisdictions, with lower case counts and more stringent in person learning protections than Nova Scotia are moving to remote learning as a first step in battling this current wave, when, in Nova Scotia, Public Health is insisting that schools are safe to reopen, while at the same time discontinuing contact tracing.”

While the NSTU appreciates the many supportive calls and emails it has received from concerned parents, it encourages parents to contact their local MLA to voice their concerns.