B.C.’s new Education Minister says she understands the concerns from parents who kept their kids home from school today as part of a Sick Out protest across the province.

Speaking on the NL Morning News, Jennifer Whiteside says the government’s priority has always been to keep schools safe so students can stay in class.

“I want to say that I can certainly appreciate the anxiety that parents are feeling right now across the province as we deal with what is an unprecedented public health crisis,” she said.

“You know, we have been working very closely with our education partners throughout the course of the pandemic – we are going to continue to do that. We really need to keep the lines of dialogue and communication open.”

Whiteside, the rookie MLA for New Westminster, says there is ‘good reason to feel concerned and anxious about potential spread of COVID-19’, but she adds government has been doing a good job in the ensuring things are as safe as possible.

“There is a protocol and that protocol is initiated appropriately so when it is required,” she noted.

“I know its been really hard on everybody in our education sector – the kids and the parents, the teachers, the educational assistants, the clerical workers, the custodians – everybody who is working so hard and has worked so hard to make sure that we could open our school safety and keep kids at school because we know that that is really the best place for them to be learning.”

Organizers of the Sick Out protest say students and teachers deserve better safety measures at schools. Their demands include more online learning options, classrooms with no more than 15 students, and the use of masks inside classrooms.

Preliminary data indicates not many students were out of class today across School District 73, Spokesperson Diana Skoglund says the district will have an accurate report tomorrow.

“The preliminary report on absences is now complete,” she told NL News. “There is essentially no difference in attendance between yesterday and today. On Monday, Nov. 30, 4.9 per cent of students were absent, while today, Dec. 1, 4.12 per cent of students are absent.”

“These absences would be for gastro illness, respiratory illness, general illness, and parental excuses.”

School Safety Protocols Are Strong says Dr. Bonnie Henry

Despite hundreds of COVID-19 exposures since classes resumed in September – the vast majority in Fraser Health – Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry is again trying to reassure parents safety protocols are strong.

“These are absolutely things that are done on a local basis. The teachers have been involved, the school communities and so, I think the parent voices are very important to ensure that what’s happening in their school community meets the needs of parents and children.”

Henry continues to insist the rate of transmission in schools is low.

“We’ve had many exposure events, but they have very rarely resulted in transmission, so this is an important time for all of us to reset, to learn from what we have been through in the last few months and make sure that parents are involved in those discussions, as well,” she said.

Speaking to media on Monday, Henry did admit that some exposures in the education sector were not getting reported fast enough.

“There have been challenges and yes, there is a social media network where people exchange information that we may not be aware of. It can be out there before notifications are put out there and also, there are exposure events that may happen that may not be related to school,” Henry added.

Education Critic Jackie Tegart, the BC Liberal MLA for Fraser-Nicola, told NL News there are a lot of questions that need to be answered about the safety of students and staff in schools.

“Education is top priority for me and I’m sure it will be very top priority for our caucus, as we look at concerns we’re hearing from parents and from staff in regards to COVID-19 and school shutdowns, and making sure that our kids and the people who serve our children are safe in our workplaces,” she said.

Tegart says she is also looking forward to working with the new Education Minister as schools continue to navigate the pandemic.