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With elementary and secondary schools opening throughout B.C. on Monday, a key ingredient in keeping staff and students protected from COVID is mask wearing.

"We remind everyone who is able to follow public health orders and wear a mask that fits well at school and on school buses," Kevin Kaardal, superintendent of schools for the Central Okanagan school district, said in a written statement emailed to iNFOnews.ca.

Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside, in a news briefing, Jan. 7, said students need to have three-layer, well-fitting masks and the schools will provide those if they don’t come to school with them on.

READ MORE: It's back to school in B.C. next week as planned

There is, however, a sizeable loophole in the rules governing student mask wearing in schools, which is the long list of exemptions. Those include things like a person not being able to put a mask on or take it off by themselves and times when it’s not appropriate, like eating, drinking or playing a wind instrument.

But the big one is the first on the list of exemptions: “A person who cannot tolerate wearing a mask for health or behavioural reasons.”

"In general, the health and behaviour exemption is fairly broad as it captures a range of instances where a student may be unable to wear a mask or unwilling to the point it creates a barrier to participating in school activities," the Ministry of Health said in an email. "School districts and individual schools have the responsibility to address mask exceptions for students,” was the written response. “School staff will work with parents and families if a child is unable to wear a mask at school.”

So, what does the Central Okanagan school board – the largest in the Interior of B.C. – say?

"When families request exemptions or a child is unable to wear a mask for whatever reason, we help them follow other strategies to enhance safety with inclusion and positive reinforcement, according to trauma-informed practices and Ministry guidance,” was the emailed explanation.

What guidance does the Ministry offer?

"Staff should utilize positive and inclusive approaches to engage students in the use of masks, and should not employ measures that are punitive or stigmatizing in nature," the Ministry said. "No student should be prevented from attending or fully participating at school if they do not wear a mask."

Students don't have to provide a note from a health care provider if they can't wear a mask, the Ministry said.

iNFOnews.ca asked the school board’s information officer if there was any data on how many exemptions were applied for last fall. He said he thought the number was small but they probably didn’t track that data.

See the full list of mask exemptions here.

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