Liberal majority committee stymies efforts for more transparency in school reopening plan
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Claudia Chender, committee member and NDP education critic, put forward a motion for the committee to hold a forum for education stakeholders to voice their concerns and offer input on the plan.
Before joining her party colleagues in voting against the motion, Liberal MLA Suzanne Lohnes-Croft challenged Chender saying that the department is already consulting with stakeholders, including the Nova Scotia Teachers Union and school staff, and called on committee members to ‘put faith in the education minister and Department of Education to carry this forward.’
The Liberal MLA also questioned Chender about a possible format for the proposed forum. Chender proposed the forum take place via video conferencing and have the deputy minister of education participate. She said a forum would give the committee a chance to hear from the public, similar to the opportunity offered by the Law Amendments committee during a legislative sitting.
After the meeting Chender voiced her frustration over the lack of public input that’s gone into the reopening plan.
‘Our caucus, along with teachers, staff and families, has many concerns and unanswered questions about what this plan will look like in reality,’ said Chender. ‘We want September to be successful, but the plan as it stands does not inspire confidence.’
‘The minister of education has yet to indicate whether the necessary investments will be made in cleaning, PPE, space and staffing concerns. Questions remain about the reliance on classroom cohorting, given that children will be in mixed groups on the bus and during extra-curricular activities, and families still haven’t seen any guidelines for before- and after-school care.’
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In the end, Chender pointed to the government's lack of public accountability and transparency during the pandemic that began back in March.
‘The Liberals have consistently shut down public accountability measures such as committees during the pandemic,’ said Chender. ‘When it comes to the health and safety of our children, we believe everything must be done to ensure that parents, teachers, staff, and the public have confidence in the plan.’”