The school year is only a couple of weeks old, but the provincial NDP have given the Saskatchewan government a failing grade for the way they’ve handled protecting children from COVID-19.

On Thursday, ahead of Premier Moe’s press conference, Opposition Critic of Education, Carla Beck criticized Premier Moe and Education Minister, Dustin Duncan for ignoring the advice of medical health officers in August. “I think what the Premier needs to do, is what he should’ve been doing all along, and that is following the advice of the people who have the education, who have the expertise and who are paid to give that advice. ”

Beck is hopeful that the province is not in a situation where schools have to revert back to online education, but adds if the situation presents itself, the blame should lie with the provincial government. “If we do get to a point of where it’s medically indicated and necessary for kids to move to online, that will be directly on this Premier and this Minister of Education.

Many parents and teachers have been frustrated by the lack of leadership from the provincial government according to Beck. “I’m hearing a lot of confusion and frustration about the lack of contact tracing, the lack of clarity, the lack of isolation requirements for positive cases, the fact if a child contracts COVID at school, they can remain at school, but if they contract COVID outside of school they have to isolate. These seems like measures that are meant to meet political interests unfortunately instead of the health and safety of kids in our schools.”