Members of the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education talk Tuesday afternoon during their monthly general meeting.--SCREENSHOT FROM STREAM
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@MHNmocranker
The Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education members debated Tuesday whether to keep meeting virtually, or to start meeting again in person.
Trustee Kathy Glasgo questioned the optics of meeting virtually while having kids attend class. Board chair Dick Mastel, on the other hand, said he liked meeting virtually and was getting used to it, feeling they could continue to do so until the pandemic ends.
Trustee Peter Grad agreed with Glasgo that in-person meetings would be better, but noted that their normal office would not have the size requirements, so it would need to find a larger space to gather, such as a school gym, if in-person meetings returned.
The board cruised through a number of other minor items Tuesday, including a review of a recent visit to the Hat from trauma specialist Kevin Cameron. Cameron spoke to local parents about the mental health crisis, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Superintendent of learning services Hugh Lehr said Cameron’s virtual presentation was well attended, with more than 600 tuning in.
He said the meeting was held to help lower anxiety with parents and students.
“Students are being impacted by this,” he said of the crisis and the pandemic.
He added that parents and students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 attended the virtual event. It allowed the school to gather data from families on how to move forward with these two issues.
