Leader of the Opposition, NDP Leader Ryan Meili, said the latest announcement by the Saskatchewan Party government still doesn鈥檛 provide the clarity necessary for going back to school with the COVID-19 pandemic and that delaying the start of the school year by a week is 鈥渄amage control.鈥�
Meili responded to the Aug. 17 press conference in which Premier Scott Moe explained why the start of the school year was being delayed to Sept. 8, the allocation of $40 million in contingency funding for education and expanded COVID-19 testing.
Meili said, 鈥淭oday, we were expecting some kind of an announcement that would actually address the concerns that Saskatchewan people have been raising. We've been hearing from parents, from teachers from school staff, from grandparents who are worried about a lack of a school plan.
鈥淲e've seen other provinces come up with plans that are much more serious than what we've seen in Saskatchewan. And we were expecting today to see an answer to that, something that would make it clear that this government understands how important it is that we get this right, because it is crucial that we get this right. It's crucial for our kids, for their safety for the safety of their parents and grandparents, for the safety of the province as a whole.
鈥淣ot to mention, if we don't get this right, it jeopardizes our economic recovery as well as people's ability to go to work. And you know, if things go really badly could result in the reopening, actually getting turned around.鈥澨�
Meili said the premier continually gets it wrong over and over again. Meili said the $40 million announced on Aug. 17 wasn鈥檛 new money, just allocating 20 per cent of the contingency plan.
鈥淭here's also nothing on class sizes. And we know, in Saskatchewan classrooms, the class sizes were already too much. They're already too crowded and too complex, let alone at a time when we're dealing with a pandemic.鈥�
Meili said there was zero clarity when it came to how this government will deal with outbreaks.
鈥淭here were no clear guidelines when it came to the use of masks across the province. We didn't even get a clear answer on how it will be decided whether a school or school division is at Level 1 or Level 2 or Level 3.
鈥淣ow we just saw this government once again, pass the buck down onto school divisions to make the major decisions pass the buck on to parents even heard the premier passing the buck and calling for personal responsibility from kids as young as six.
鈥淚'd like to see the premier take some personal responsibility here. He is in charge of this government. He's the one who's supposed to be leading the way and providing us with a decent plan. Because it's so important that we get this right.鈥�
Regarding delaying the start of school, Meili said "Moe continues to get it wrong over and over again, gotten it wrong now to the point that he's had to delay the opening of school, which is just a clear sign of how he has failed to have any plans and now he's making families like mine have to scramble for childcare and make new plans.鈥�
Meili said the NDP鈥檚 seven-point plan includes 鈥淚ncreasing access to testing, these type one ways for tests, decreasing class sizes, having sufficient dollars to actually do that work, clear guidelines on outbreaks, clear guidelines on masks and making sure that this government actually took some responsibility and show some leadership instead of just passing the buck onto school divisions, parents and families.鈥�
Asked if putting off the start of school a week was a change in policy and if the impending election was a factor, Meili said, 鈥淭oday, the only real change is school is a week later, which is just a sign that this government has failed to plan.鈥�
Meili said trying to change the narrative is about damage control.
鈥淭his was never about getting the school time right. He failed to do that in June. He failed in July and in August, now he's failing again. But he's trying to spin this way out of this without doing the real work.鈥�
Meili said the schools鈥� deadline of Aug. 26 to release their detailed plans is a short window for parents.
鈥淭his is something where the lack of clarity, the confusion coming out of this government, even though the message we heard from the premier around those choices makes it really hard for parents to know.鈥�
Meili continued, 鈥淚 do believe we should be returning to school. I think it's really important for kids. It's really important for society as a whole, but only if we get it right. And that's why it's so important that we do things like reducing class sizes, having clear guidelines on masks 鈥� really having a plan that will keep kids safe.鈥�
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