Winter after winter Edmontonian students have had to endure many -30c. and below temperatures while still having to legally attend school. As known children between the ages of 6-16 must legally come to school on operating days and if not their parents can be charged for their child’s truancy. It is incredibly unfair that the higher-ups who regulate these rules stay warm and completely comfortable in their offices as they make our lives difficult with life-threatening health issues such as hypothermia, frostbite, trench foot, chilblains, etc. As students, we do know that such things are preventable and yes we can gear up and keep warm but such cold climates are generally uncomfortable and make it harder for all of us to function. 

 

As stated in an article from Alberta Education about caring schools, from the whole-school approach section, it reads that A whole-school approach is inclusive of school staff, students and education partners and touches all aspects of school life. It should promote positive mental health and academic achievement and include social-emotional learning in school practices, policies and partnerships. The main factor in this that I would like to touch on is that a school should promote positive mental health learning practices in schools and by implementing that we’re supposed to be attending school in weathers that are overall uncomfortable, especially for young minds that are still in development, how are we supposed to move forward?

 

Seasonal affective disorder is a disorder that closely mirrors a form of depression usually marked by its appearance during colder months. In an article written by Gaan Akers, it reads that in kids and teens, seasonal affective disorder can cause unusual fatigue, difficulty in school and social withdrawal. Because these symptoms are regularly linked to the normal mood swings that teens can have it’s, often looked over by their peers, teachers and companions around them. It would be incredibly unreasonable to say that teens are expected to learn and participate in school in such conditions when it very deeply affects their abilities to learn and grow as students.

 

the Alberta Education Act prioritizes giving students a safe place to learn and grow but how can they when they’re being held back from putting forward their full potential as students because of poor weather and social withdrawal? If things were to change I would say that giving students a mental break and safety prioritization on days when weather conditions are poor would increase students' overall positivity and also put the safety of students into view. No, we’re not asking for breaks every day but change is beneficial to every organization especially one as large as a whole school system.

 

As known our winters in Edmonton are long and tiresome, especially for students looking to pursue their education for a brighter future. We hope you can look into our needs as growing minds and see the urgency behind our requests.