Following the provincial government's unveiling of the latest back-to-school protocols last week, it was requested that all 37 school divisions across the province publish a revised plan for the return to the classroom this September.

The Portage la Prairie School Division posted their updated plan to their website Monday. Superintendent Todd Cuddington outlines some of the elements of the plan.

"We're going with cohorting so that students will be grouped and they won't have opportunities to mix during the day. This is an added measure to ensure that if there is an outbreak, we can isolate it," explains Cuddington. "Students will be entering through different doors throughout the schools, they won't be mingling in the hallways. There will be scheduled washroom break times and handwashing throughout the day. Classrooms will be routinely sprayed down by our custodian and cleaning staff. We've hired more staff to increase the sanitization of the schools. So, lots of precautions being made."

Outdoor play equipment, however, will not be included within the extra sanitization protocols. Rather, children using the equipment will be advised to wash their hands both before and after.

Self-screening will also play an important role in the return to the classroom, Cuddington explains.

"It rests with parents and students, and staff as well, to make sure that if they are having any kind of flu-like symptoms that they don't present at work or at school. Just to be extra cautious," says Cuddington. He adds this also goes for anyone who may have spent time out of province, saying "they'd be advised to not be at school until they've gone through a quarantine period."

When the province announced a back-to-school plan at the end of July, they stated that students from kindergarten to grade eight would receive in-class instruction five day a week. Expectations for high-school students were slightly looser and were left more to the discretion of the school division. Cuddington shares the approach being taken by the Portage School Division.

"We've requested that nines attend daily. We think it's really important that nines have a strong year in their first year in high school," says Cuddington, adding success in grade nine is a strong indicator of graduation rates.

"So nines will be in everyday and then grade tens, for those students who were identified as needing recovery learning, they'll be coming daily as well. The students who were a little bit more successful working independently and remotely will be coming in every other day, similar to grade eleven and twelve students," says Cuddington, adding they are still waiting to hear from the province as to whether or not more remote learning through InformNet and Distance Learning would be available to students free of change.

With regard to masks in schools, Cuddington says they are mandatory for everyone taking school transport; students and bus drivers alike. He notes while masks are strongly recommended for students within the schools, the division does not intend to mandate them.

Cuddington admits complying with all the health orders will generate a certain amount of frustration, notably when it comes to transportation as the number of students permitted on school busses is being reduced. He asks that people be patient and try to put steps in place now so they are ready when school resumes. He adds walking school busses will continue in Portage, with increases to a couple of schools.

You can keep up to date with the school division's latest back-to-school protocols on their website.

Meanwhile, a telephone town hall was held earlier this evening with Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen and Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin in regard to the return to school.