The Nova Scotia Teachers Union is disappointed students and teachers won’t be heading back to classrooms, but they understand the situation.
NSTU President Paul Wozney says throughout the year they have raised concerns over the lack of protection offered at schools.
He says the provincial government was left with little choice this third wave as it’s impacting young people at a much higher rate.
“There’s over 890 child or youth COVID-19 cases connected to the third wave, so clearly this version of the virus that we are dealing with disproportionately impacts kids and youth,” said Wozney. “It was the right call to make, to make sure everybody stays safe.”
Wozney added although most teachers are getting better at delivering lessons virtually, the research shows the benefits of being in a classroom.
Throughout the pandemic the union has been calling for teachers to be a priority for vaccinations, which Wozney says never happened.
Still, Wozney remains hopeful that as more vaccines are administered throughout the summer, students and teachers will be able to return to classrooms in the fall.
