From Elwin LeRoux Regional Executive Director of Halifax Regional Centre for Education

Families,

In two weeks, schools will reopen to students for the start of the 2021-22 school year. In a news conference earlier today, the province shared the details for a safe return to school as we continue to live with COVID-19. You can learn more about the plan and the related public health measures here.

What to Expect
This year, the daily routine will be similar to previous school years before COVID-19. Subjects such as music, physical education and instrumental music will be delivered much as they have in the past. Students and staff will be permitted to use cafeterias and participate in food programs. School sports can resume and school gyms will open to community groups in the evenings and on weekends. Principals can invite visitors back into schools with the requirement visitors follow all public health measures.

To ensure schools are as safe as possible, core public health measures will remain in place. These include:

frequent hand washing and sanitizing;
cleaning of high-touch surfaces; and
staying home if you are feeling sick.
As an additional layer of safety, all students, staff and visitors will be required to wear masks inside schools to start the school year. Schools will transition away from mandatory masks once the province reaches Phase 5 of its re-opening plan. Of course, we will communicate any changes with families in advance.

Public Health Guidance
We will continue to take advice from Public Health, which means we will need to be flexible and adapt our safety measures as they monitor the number of COVID-19 cases in our communities. We may need to adopt stricter public health measures on a temporary basis in individual schools, families of schools and/or communities. And, while it is unexpected, if we are required to move to at-home learning, we will follow an approach similar to last year.

This plan was developed with the help of many. This includes direction and guidance from public health officials, advice from physicians at the IWK Health Centre, feedback from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, the Public School Administrators Association of Nova Scotia, support staff unions and teachers. It also considers survey results from parents, guardians and teachers, as well as recommendations from other key partners.

Finally, it has come to our attention that a message sent from HRCE on behalf of Dr. Robert Strang on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 went to student email accounts. This message, which encouraged those who are eligible to get vaccinated, was intended for our parents and guardians only and was shared with students in error. We are using a new messaging system and have resolved the issue for further email communications. We apologize for any concern this has caused.

We look forward to the start of another school year and another great year of learning. The first day of school for most students is Tuesday, September 7, 2021. There are a few exceptions; click here to learn more.

It’s been a long journey since March 2020, but we know the best place for children to learn is in a safe and supportive environment surrounded by their teachers, school staff and friends.

Welcome back!

Elwin LeRoux
Regional Executive Director
Halifax Regional Centre for Education