The cohort model where groups of 60 BC elementary and 120 high school students are allowed close contact with each other and staff at school was a surprise to teachers.

That's according to Smithers teacher and Bulkley Valley SD54 BC Teachers Federation representative Matthew Cooke.

"The cynic in me says that the cohort and learning group model is about contact tracing -- and I'll be quite blunt -- when covid shows up in a school," said Cooke.

Matthew Cooke is a teacher in Smithers and union rep for Bulkley Valley SD54.

He said this is a risk and reward calculation, with the Province of BC believing the risk does not outweigh the reward.

Cooke adds he does believe there is an intent to limit the spread of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, and there were lessons learned when schools partially re-opened in May and June.

Those lessons included a scheduling challenge just to get kids who take the bus in and out of schools, never mind figuring out how older kids can take the classes they want if there are schedule conflicts.

"The complications at high school ... I like to think I'm a solution-oriented professional, I can't picture what those solutions are going to be," said Cooke.

Other requests from teachers included face shields, sick days related to Covid-19, and the ability to teach remotely of they and students so choose.

BC Education Minister Rob Fleming announced funding for remote learning, but did not say it was mandatory for school districts to offer it. The minister did say school districts needed to ask parents what they wanted.