The Province's school re-entry plan has seen mixed reactions from Alberta parents.

While some parents are eager to restore some normality to their families, others are concerned "near-normal" operations could present health risks.

Okotoks Dad, Tanner Strangway says with one child returning to elementary school and another returning to junior high, he says he feels a bit of anxiety.

"I really believe that kids in school will not be able to social distance effectively, and until they can prove with detailed statistics that there's no inherent risk to kids contracting the virus and being asymptomatic, then I think we need to do everything in our power to keep our kids safe, and that would be mandatory masks."

He also pointed to the recent resurgence in cases.

"We're clearly in one of the most significant resurgences in the country. When you look at the announcement of 21 individuals in the ICU, that's two away from our largest total the entire time since mid-March, since the kids were sent home."

He says while the return to school is important, he'd have preferred to see a phased relaunch more akin to the province's scenario two.

However not all parents share his concern,

In fact some are relieved.

Melissa Hanson says she feels the return to school will be particularly beneficial to her son, and only child heading into grade eight.

"It's been a setback for him mentally and socially. I work full time and even though I've been able to be home, I haven't been able to give him that time to sit down and teach him, and he's also at that age where he doesn't want mom to teach him. It was great to have the opportunity for them to keep learning when the schools shut down, but I definitely saw him lose motivation."

She says she has a number of concerns herself and is sympathetic to those who are immunocompromised, but she feels the re-entry will prove to be beneficial following months of uncertainty and fear from the general public.

"I think there's been so much talk that we have this fear in us now of the worst. So it's kind of getting past that and trying to get back to just feeling like we're living a normal life again."

Hanson says her school recommended an at-home learning centre for any parents worried about the re-entry.

 

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