Office of the Official Opposition
For Immediate Release

St. John's, NL (August 28th, 2020) – Craig Pardy, PC Opposition Critic for Education and MHA for Bonavista, today raised new concerns about a leaked school re-opening plan that dates back three months.

Pardy refers to the NLESD Covid-19 Task Force report that was presented to Government back on May 26, months before Government released its own plan.

“It is simply unbelievable that Government has this report for months yet kept the report secret. Many of the issues raised in the May report are issues that I have raised and are still outstanding days away from school re-opening,” says Pardy.

Pardy notes the comprehensive report submitted back in May would likely have been presented to Cabinet and offered a blueprint for a safe return to school in September.

“Why Government locked this report away in a filing cabinet is beyond me. After displacing 6,200 students from bus routes, parents are still waiting to learn who may be allowed on. Kindergarten parents are awaiting information about their child’s first day of school. Public Exams are in limbo while social distancing with respect to class size has not been addressed at all,” says Pardy.

“My colleagues and I have been inundated with numerous inquiries from parents, administrators, and daycare operators, who are filled with anxiety and worry due to the lack of concrete information. The abysmal failure of Government over the past six months has been appalling. Parents need answers,” concluded Pardy.

Contacts:

Bradley Russell

Director of Policy and Research

(p) 1.709.729.3668

BradleyRussell@gov.nl.ca

-30-