Today, Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, and Minister of Education, Jennifer Whiteside, announced that B.C. has enhanced its health and safety guidelines for B.C. schools and expanded its mask wearing policy.
Under the updated health and safety guidelines, all K to 12 students, staff and visitors are required to wear masks in all indoor areas as of October 4, including:
At desks
On school buses
The only exceptions are when:
A person who cannot tolerate wearing a mask for health or behavioural reasons
A person unable to put on or remove a mask without the assistance of another person
If the mask is removed temporarily for the purposes of identifying the person wearing it
If the mask is removed temporarily to engage in an educational activity that cannot be performed while wearing a mask. For example:
Playing a wind instrument
Engaging in high-intensity physical activity
If a person is eating or drinking
If a person is behind a barrier
While providing a service to a person with a disability or diverse ability (for example, a hearing impairment), where visual cues, facial expressions and/or lip reading/movements are important
Please refer to the updated health and safety guidelines and Communicable Disease Plan on our website. Please emphasize the expectations and key behaviours with your children, which ensure that together, we can continue to move towards the fullest experience of Stratford Hall's programmes and resources.