Posts published in “K-12 Bulletin”

The Provincial Health Officer has issued a new order regarding the reporting of vaccination status of K-12 staff. According to the PHO and Ministry of Education, this order enables local Medical Health Officers (MHOs) to direct school boards to obtain the vaccination status of school staff and share that information with the local MHO.

Like many K-12 members, CUPE was surprised by this announcement. We were not consulted on the order, nor given advance notice it was being issued. We also understand that initial news coverage of the order added to confusion over the nature and scope of the order. We hope this bulletin will provide clarity on what this means for K-12 support staff.

The PHO and Ministry of Education says this is an enabling order for local MHOs and provides a consistent approach for gathering this information if needed. It is not a province-wide order, nor does it require immediate action by school districts. School districts have been told that they are not required to collect staff vaccination status information unless they are ordered by their local MHO with a specific directive.

The Ministry of Education says the purpose of this order is “to support MHOs to obtain information about K–12 staff vaccination rates to assess, advise on and respond to risks arising from exposures, cases, clusters and outbreaks in schools.”

IF an MHO directive is issued under this order, it would:

• Require the employer to collect vaccination status information of staff;
• Require staff to report vaccination status information to their employer;
• Require staff to update their vaccination status information if their status changes to their employer;
• Require the employer to provide aggregated vaccination status information by school to the MHO; and
• Require the employer to consider that staff who do not provide vaccination status as unvaccinated, when implementing control measures.

PHO orders are not a grievable matter as they are not a decision from an employer. As an order from the PHO, it does carry penalties for non-compliance that are unrelated to the workplace.

If an MHO does order this directive to a school district, CUPE expects this information will be gathered in a way that protects the privacy and rights of K-12 staff as outlined in the province’s K-12 Sector Guidelines for Vaccination Policies.

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Over 200,000 self-administered COVID-19 rapid antigen tests are being sent out this week for immediate use in the K-12 sector. This initial allotment from the provincial government is specifically for use by school and district staff. They are being sent to districts early this week, with each district getting enough for two tests per staff member.

This first shipment of rapid tests will be for at-home use by symptomatic staff members to rule out COVID-19. They will not be used to determine if asymptomatic staff can attend school.

The Provincial Health Services Authority has another pending allotment of rapid tests. Once this allotment is confirmed, the Ministry of Education will roll out plans to expand rapid testing to students. It is expected more tests will arrive from the Government of Canada later in January that will support the expanded use of rapid tests within the sector.

Deployment and distribution to staff will be managed by the individual school districts. The tests will arrive prepackaged in boxes of five, so they will need to be repacked on by school districts into sets of two. This may cause a slight delay in getting them to staff.

Once ready, the Ministry of Education is recommending they be given out to staff to take home, so they are immediately available when needed. The tests will come to staff with a letter including guidance on when to use them, instructions on how to use the tests properly, and direction on what to do in the case of a positive or negative result.

These rapid antigen tests being provided are in addition to existing testing in the province, available for individuals when recommended by public health.

All other existing safety protocols and practices in schools should also be maintained.

Rapid testing resources

Understanding Test Results – Find out what your COVID-19 test results mean. BCCDC

Rapid antigen at-home test instructions for K-12 School District/Authority Staff. Ministry of Education

Symptoms of COVID-19. BCCDC

COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test Deployment – Information for the K-12 Sector. Ministry of Education bulletin

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The K-12 Presidents Council held a special meeting last week in advance of the full return of students to schools. Presidents compared how their respective districts were implementing updated safety plans to help curb COVID cases in schools in response to the recent surge causes by the Omicron variant. The Council provided feedback on enhanced measures being considered by the Public Health Officer and Ministry of Education and identified other possible measures that should be advocated for by CUPE.

The PHO and Ministry of Education have released updated protocols – they are available online and we provided a summary that is available on bcschools.cupe.ca.

CUPE continues to call for prioritized rapid testing for staff and students in schools, N-95 or equivalent three-layer masks be provided, prioritized vaccine boosters for school staff, support for improved ventilation, and adding regular daytime cleaning of all school environments across the province.

In support of K-12 Locals, CUPE BC President Karen Ranalleta has issued press releases over the past two weeks advocating for these measures, with emphasis on the importance of adding regular daytime custodial services in all B.C. schools. With the potential for increased absences due to illnesses that my lead to functional school closures, regular daytime cleaning is vital to stopping the spread of common illnesses (i.e., the flu and colds), and relieving pressures on staff caused by COVID related absence.

CUPE and the K-12 Presidents Council remains in close contact with the provincial government and districts through the Ministry of Education’s provincial education steering committee. We will continue to advocate for our members as they work to keep B.C. schools healthy and clean for students, families, and our communities.

Mask Exemptions

Well-fitted, and properly worn masks are vital to keeping our public education system open for in-person learning. A refresher for students and staff on proper usage will be provided by districts for the return to class this week.

There are, however, certain situations where a staff member or student may not be able to wear a mask and may be exempt from mandated mask use in school environments. This guide from the B.C. government can help identifying legitimate mask exemptions in the K-12 education system and provide guidance on how to deal with these situations that protect the rights and health concerns of individuals while protect public health in our schools.

Working remotely

For working remotely, CUPE has confirmed that it is up to school districts to determine whether employees can work from home. Locals who wish to advocate for this option should do so directly with their employer.

Recent CUPE BC press releases on K-12 Sector

CUPE BC welcomes one-week delay to in-classroom education in K-12, urges additional safety measures

School support workers call for daytime cleaning to keep schools open

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With students returning to school next week, the Public Health Officer (PHO) and Ministry of Education have released updated protocols in response to the recent surge in COVID cases caused by the virus’ Omicron variant. The protocols are in place for the full return of students on January 10 with the goal of keeping schools open for in-person learning.

Summary

Three-layer masks will be provided to students and staff on return to school, and a refresher on the proper use of masks will be provided.

Students and staff will be asked to do a self-health check each day before attending school. Parents will be asked to report results of self-administered rapid antigen tests to help identify cases in schools.

The PHO says with higher levels of community transmission, a shorter virus incubation period of the Omicron variant, contact tracing and close contact notification by public health is a less effective way to limit COVID-19 transmission in schools. So, school districts are being directed to closely monitor staff and student attendance and absences due to illness to identify potential outbreaks or other problems that might lead to functional closures.

School districts will be responsible to make the decision if a functional school closure is required, in consultation with the regional medical officer.

The district will have plans in place to transition to online learning. CUPE has made clear through the Provincial Education Steering Committee that the union expects wage continuity for all school support staff in the event of functional closures.

School districts have taken the week delay in the return to school to put in place updated protocols. These plans include staggered breaks, restricting visitors, revised plans for distancing and reduce crowding, and the use of virtual assemblies and staff meetings. Policies and protocols allowing for school staff to work remotely are at the discretion of school districts.

The updated COVID-19 Protocols for School & District Administrators and Staff: Management of School-Associated Activity is available online and at bcschools.cupe.ca.

Rapid testing

The Public Health Officer says self-administered rapid antigen tests will be circulated to vital public services in the coming weeks, and school staff showing COVID symptoms will be a priority for these tests. More information will be provided when the tests are distributed.

Mental health resources

The recent surge in COVID cases has been incredibly stressful for many students and staff. Mental health resources are available to assist schools in supporting students and staff in their return to school:

• Compassionate Learning Communities – Supporting Trauma-Informed Practice
• Building Compassionate Communities in a New Normal – recorded webinar for educators
• Linda O’Neill – Trauma Informed in the Classroom
• Ministry of Children and Family Development: Healing Families, Helping Systems: A Trauma-Informed Practice Guide for Working with Children, Youth and Families

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We’re writing to you on behalf of the Working Group on the Current State of the Education Assistant (EA) Workforce in B.C. (the EA working group). CUPE and the Ministry of Education formed the EA working group in May 2021 to gather information and data to better understand the current state of the EA workforce and potential implications of standardized certification.

As such, the working group has developed a survey that includes questions on the current education, work experience, and career aspirations of EAs. Survey results will be used to inform the work of the group and help them better understand the needs, issues, opportunities, and challenges of the EA workforce.

Here is the link to the survey: https://www.bcedextranet.gov.bc.ca/educ_forms_service/cupe-survey.html

Survey closes on January 14, 2022.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Lina.Branter@gov.bc.ca and kdaub@cupe.ca.

Thank you for your responses – we appreciate your time and feedback.

In Solidarity,

Kirsten & Justin
K-12 Sector Coordinators, BC Region

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