Masks will be required in Calgary classrooms for K-12 students

Calgary teachers will be looking at a lot of masked faces come the start of September.

The Calgary Board of Education has made it mandatory for students from Kindergarten through Grade 12 to wear masks while inside the city’s schools, including in classrooms.

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The public health measure is stricter than the Province of Alberta’s current mask requirements, which would only see mandatory masks for those in Grade 4 through 12.

The Calgary Board of Education notes in their Health and Wellness in School page that they “are working on mask guidelines including support for students and staff who are unable to wear a mask due to medical conditions or other needs. When staff and students take breaks for wearing a mask, it will be important for other measures to be adhered to like physical distancing, hand hygiene, and sanitizing surfaces.”

Students taking public transit to school or work will also be expected to wear masks while in vehicles, as required by the City of Calgary.

CBE’s guidelines also include additional hand washing stations, daily screening for coronavirus, staying at home when feeling sick, and being moved to a designated infirmary room if symptoms develop while at school.

If a confirmed case is detected in a student, CBE states, “the decision to send a cohort/class home or to close a school will be made by the local medical officer of health. If students are required to self-isolate, the school will support students to learn or work at home.”

The Province of Alberta will be supplying two reusable masks to all Alberta students.