The education director for Prairie South School Division is frustrated that a Saskatoon doctor is stirring up angst in the community with a letter urging the division to keep schools closed.
Dr. Kyle Anderson, an assistant professor and undergraduate chair of the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at the College of Medicine in Saskatoon, wrote a letter to director of education Tony Baldwin and board chairman Robert Bachmann on April 8 “to implore you to make a decision that is science-backed and evidence-based” with reopening schools.
While he understood that phase 4 schooling — learning from home — put low-income students and families at a disadvantage and forced more women to look after their children, Anderson was “100 (per cent) certain” that keeping schools closed was “for the greater good of everyone in your community.”
Using recent COVID-19 data for the south-central zone, Anderson indicated that the United Kingdom variant spread more easily and increased hospitalization. While the initial measures to protect schools were sufficient, variants drove outbreaks at schools in Canada in March. This shows that “regular masked instruction is not enough protection anymore,” especially for unvaccinated school staff.
“Please, I implore you, reverse your decision to return to in-person instruction and remain in phase 4 until there is at least some indication that the trends of this third wave have begun to reverse,” he added. “Right now, there is not a single scrap of evidence the situation is improving from when the decision was first made to go to phase 4.”
Baldwin told the Express that he appreciated Anderson coming to him first with the letter. The director of education pointed out that the doctor is a lobbyist who has used social media to criticize the provincial government’s response to the pandemic.
That letter later appeared on Anderson’s Twitter page.
During their conversation, Baldwin told Anderson to direct his comments to the Saskatchewan Health Authority. Baldwin noted that he is not a microbiologist, so it would be better for Anderson and public health officials to work together to support schools.
“It would be easier for me if we didn’t have people with opposite opinions to the medical health folks — who are supporting school divisions out there — in the media making anxiety levels worse for parents and staff,” said Baldwin. “It absolutely stirs up anxiety.”
Prairie South and Holy Trinity Catholic School Division met with two doctors from southern Saskatchewan, who were “very confident” that it is “very safe” to reopen schools, he continued.
While the doctors’ motives were medical-related, Baldwin did not know what Anderson’s motives were for wanting schools closed. The educator director only knew that Anderson was “waging this war on social media.”
The doctors’ evidence for reopening schools included not seeing secondary transmission in schools; transmission occurring more at home; Moose Jaw being smaller than Regina and having different demographics; and the transmission curve.
Baldwin appreciated that the doctors were “completely confident” in reopening schools and were not wishy-washy in their approach.
“We’re committed to making data-based decisions using the advice of the medical health officers and public health system in Saskatchewan,” he said, “and not worrying about the emotional piece … . I know it’s making it much more difficult for my staff, and I believe it’s also making it quite a bit more difficult for parents.”
