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Students can gradually return to classrooms beginning June 1 but only if parents make that choice, the B.C. government said today. 

Schools won't reopen full time until at least September, provided it's safe to do so, but a partial reopening will begin for the last few weeks of this school year, Premier John Horgan said in a May 15 release.

"British Columbians have worked hard to flatten our curve. As we move into the next phase of our pandemic plan after the May long weekend, the science shows us that we're ready to bring students back to school safely on a gradual and part-time basis," said Premier John Horgan. "This will be welcome news for many families who have struggled to adjust to remote and online learning, and for parents who are going back to work. At every step, we will move slowly and make health and safety our top priority. B.C. has done well under the guidance of our provincial health officials, and now is the time to take this next step together."

The number of students in each classroom will be reduced for the remainder of the year and for only part of the time. Individual school districts will be responsible for the finer details of how that will be rolled out, so watch for further direction directly from local schools or on their websites. If parents haven't got school plans before May 22, they should contact their principal.  

For students in Grade 5 and lower, parents can expect students to return only part time, perhaps in alternating days while older students may attend for roughly one day per week. Children of essential service workers, however, have the option of attending full time. 

Anyone not wanting to return kids to school still have the option of keeping them at home to continue lessons. 

Schools are preparing for a safe return by creating greater distance between students, cleaning, regular hand washing and staggered drop off times, as well as new rules for bus service, among other measures. 

The B.C. Ministry of Education's plans to return to school part-time and eventually full-time always have the contingency of halting or slowing plans in the case of a second wave of COVID-19 or a community outbreak. 

You can find more information about the school restart plan here.

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