Teachers at about 45 schools in the Central Okanagan will gradually return to schools on Tuesday to continue remotely instructing students from the familiar location of their classrooms. 

Principals and managers in School District 23, or SD23, are being asked to schedule a fraction of their staff each day so that teachers work from their classroom once a week. 

Supt. Kevin Kaardal relayed the decision to regional teachers in an email obtained by NowMedia, and confirmed the changes during a virtual town hall Thursday evening. 

Photo Credit: KelownaNowSuperintendent Kevin Kaardal and Board Chairperson Moyra Baxter in 2015

Kaardal says he hasn't received any indication from the provincial government about when students may be expected to return to classrooms, but wants teachers to be ready when classes are reinstated. 

"We have to start planning and preparing for whenever this reopening of in-class instruction, however that might look, could happen and that could happen, as I said, in September, October, or before June," he explained. 

Over 23,000 students are enrolled in schools that compose SD23. Of them, 98% are receiving their education online to abide by physical distancing measures imposed by the provincial government. 

Kardaal says that schools will have protocols in place to ensure the safety of teachers, including physical distancing measures, higher frequency cleaning and encourage frequent hand-washing. Cases of teachers who don't feel comfortable returning to school buildings this early will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, he added. 

"Employees are being paid, and … they have to be doing meaningful work and sometimes that may mean that have to work from on-site, and sometimes that means they can work remotely," he said during the town hall meeting, noting other school districts continued to work remotely from their classrooms throughout the pandemic. 

During the town hall Moyra Baxter, chairperson for the SD23 board, addressed concerns about whether graduation ceremonies and school prom dances would be possible amidst physical distancing regulations. 

"It will be, I expect, impossible — even by the end of June — to have grad ceremonies," Baxter said with a disappointed sigh. 

However, she added that graduation committees are working on developing a "reimagined" ceremony that will honour the graduating classes educational achievements in a new form.