Concern from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union about in-person learning resuming Monday.
NSTU President Paul Wozney says they fear the return will result in widespread operational issues that will close schools with little notice.
He says if schools are vulnerable to COVID spread, families, friends and the broader community are too, by extension.
Wozney says the teacher shortage was making it difficult to maintain operations before the holiday break, and he expects it will only get worse as the Omicron variant carries on.
The NSTU is recommending that schools return to remote learning next week to prevent further disruption to student learning.
Wozney says it doesn’t make sense that other jurisdictions with lower case counts are going to at-home learning, while Public Health in Nova Scotia declares schools can open as contact tracing is discontinued.
He says teachers are working in crowded classrooms with questionable ventilation, no physical distancing and poor masking compliance.