7 things to know about starting school in Yukon this week

Classes begin at Whitehorse schools on Thursday — but this won't be just another school year.

The COVID-19 pandemic means several things will be a lot different for students, from catching the bus in the morning to coming home at day's end.

Here is some of what parents and students might want to know about the coming semester.

When will students need to wear masks?

Masks are not mandatory for students at Yukon schools, or on school buses.

Yukon's chief medical officer, however, is recommending that children age 10 and older wear a non-medical face mask if they're riding the bus or in other places where they can't physically distance. The recommendation follows a similar one made by Canada's public health agency.

Individual schools will determine where students should wear masks inside the building. The principals of Whitehorse Elementary School and Elijah Smith Elementary, for example, have said their schools will not have specific mask recommendations because their plans are sufficient for physical distancing.

Masks shouldn't be necessary inside a classroom where students are well-spaced, according to Yukon's top doctor. He said a school hallway is one example of where masks may be recommended.

The chief medical officer made his recommendation on the same day as schools published their operational plans, so schools may still be determining their individual mask policies.

Education Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee said there will be non-surgical masks available for the start of the year, and the government is ordering re-usable masks for every student and teacher.

How should students get to school? 

Yukon education officials are asking families to not rely on school buses if they don't have to.  Students who can walk, bike, use public transit or get another ride to school are urged to do so, in order to allow for more spacing on the buses.

McPhee said Yukon can accommodate all students who are eligible for busing, as well as some students who do not meet eligibility requirements. McPhee said they are using "a few more" buses to help with numbers.

McPhee said Wednesday that mid-day school bus service is "in the plan" for Grades 10 to 12 students doing half-day classes.

Yukon's chief medical officer has developed guidelines for school buses, which include measures for loading onto the bus and what a driver should do if a student is sick. 

Only two students are allowed in each seat, unless they are part of the same household bubble.

Students will be assigned one seat to use each day, said McPhee, and will have to carry a school bus pass.

The government is prioritizing younger students on their bus schedules. McPhee encouraged high school students to register for the City of Whitehorse transit pass, and ride city buses if possible.

When should students or teachers stay home?

Essentially, students and school staff should stay home anytime they feel sick or show symptoms of a cold, flu, or any infectious respiratory illness. Pre-existing health conditions don't count — for example, a child with asthma may have a persistent cough, but they won't need to stay home.  

Parents and caregivers are asked to monitor children for symptoms, watch for any day-to-day changes, and keep them home when necessary.

If a child gets sick at school, they will be isolated and parents will be notified to come and bring them home. Children can return to school when they have no more symptoms, or if they've been given the go-ahead by a health professional.

"While we would recommend a student who gets sick be tested for COVID-19, the decision to be tested rests with the child's parents [or] guardians," said Department of Education spokesperson Kyle Nightingale.

What will Whitehorse students in Grades 10 to 12 be doing all afternoon?

In order to follow health guidelines in Whitehorse's three largest high schools, students in Grades 10 to 12 won't have in-class instruction for half the day.

Students will go to class either in the morning or afternoon, and learn online for the rest of the day. Supervised study halls are available for students who cannot be at home.

Education Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee told parents last week that this "does not mean that these students will only be learning half of the time." Students may be watching instructional videos, discussing things with their classmates online, researching or working on projects. 

The principal at Vanier Catholic Secondary School, Ryan Sikkes, said the at-home learning will not involve live video lessons with the teacher. He said it will be "completely different from what we were doing this spring." 

For example, he said, students could watch videos introducing new math concepts at home. Then they would come to the classroom, he said, "having tried it out and present to the teacher the challenges they experienced and the questions they had."

Sikkes said this type of learning "very closely mirrors" what will be expected in a college or university.

What happens if a school member has a positive COVID-19 test?

Many of the details may depend on the case, said Dr. Brendan Hanley, Yukon's chief medical officer of health.

If a child or staff member is sick at school, they will be isolated and sent home. Hanley said the contact tracing process will begin if a test is positive. 

Hanley said schools will rehearse procedures for what happens if someone tests positive for COVID-19.

He said the number of people notified about a positive COVID case will depend on the risk posed to the classroom or school at large. Health officials will try to keep the number of will keep the circle as small as possible.

If there are signals that a student has COVID-19 prior to a positive test, public health officials "might take different measures," he said.

Will school look different?

Probably. Classroom desks and tables will likely be spaced out for better physical distancing. Hallways may have signs indicating which direction students should travel in. There might be tape on the floor to indicate boundaries and proper spacing. Each school has a different operational plan posted on its website.

F.H. Collins Secondary School, for example, has removed sofas and chairs from the hallways.

There may be hand sanitizer pumps outside classrooms. Yukon's health and safety guidelines recommend washing hands every time students enter or exit the classroom and every time they go into a new space.

Whitehorse Elementary has replaced two older water fountains with hand-washing stations. 

Will students get to mingle?

Schools are trying to limit mixing between classes. Students in Grade 9 and under may stay in the same classroom for most of the day. Each school has its own operational plan posted on its website.

Sharon MacCoubrey, principal of Whitehorse Elementary, said they are trying to limit students' movement between classrooms. Students will not go to the library at the beginning of the year, for example. Instead, books will be brought to the classroom.

The principal of Vanier Catholic Secondary said school will be similar to what Grade 8 students experienced last year in elementary school. But it will be a change for Grade 9s who are used to moving between classrooms for different courses.

Different grades may have staggered recess and lunch breaks, as well as different entry-ways. There may be limited mixing between teachers of different grades.

What questions do you have about Yukon schools? Email laura.howells@cbc.ca.