Community helps out Saskatoon high school teacher asking for cloth mask donations

He not only wants to help keep his students safer when they come back to school, but also his family.

That’s why Saskatoon high school teacher David Schrader penned a message on the Saskatoon Buy and Sell Facebook page Wednesday evening, asking for either low cost or donated face masks.

The photography and construction teacher at E.D. Feehan Catholic High School says he expects to have anywhere from 60 to 75 students this year.

“I thought I would put out the message and hope that a few family and friends would reply and make a few masks and yeah, I just wanted my students and myself to feel safe when we’re going into school and work.”

During the Saskatchewan Government’s release of its “Safe Schools Plan” on Tuesday, masks were not made mandatory for students to wear when school resumes Sept. 1.

His ask was for two masks per student- or, about 150 masks in total. The 31-year-old didn’t expect the response he almost immediately got online.

“I put it on my personal Facebook and I got quite a few of my family members and quite a few friends respond right away…the community was unbelievable. I probably had instantly six to seven people offering to make masks and donate them; they weren’t going to charge me.”

Others, he says offered discounted masks. So far, he’s secured one per student but is hoping to double that. If he gets even more, he’ll give them to other teachers so they can, in turn, hand them out to their students.

But Schrader also has another reason for wanting to stay healthy: several years ago, his father had a heart transplant, and he wants to make sure he can still visit him without putting his dad at risk.

“For his health, I just would want to be as safe as I can at school. He’s a recipient- he was sick for about 12 years before that, and he can still get sick or reject at any time. I just would want to do my due diligence so that I can go visit them and go and visit him while I can.”

He won’t require any students to wear a mask- it will be a choice. But he will have conversations with his students about the importance of wearing one indoors. He adds that even if some of his students want to wear one- they may not have the money to buy one on their own.

“I work at an inner-city school, so a lot of the families don’t have a lot of extra income. So I figure if they’re going to make families provide masks I may as well do a little bit to try and help these kids feel safe and have masks as well.”

Teachers will be back in school the week of Aug. 24, and he’s hoping to have all of the masks ready by the end of the month, if not sooner. He’s thankful for those community members who have stepped up to help him.

If he can’t get enough donated masks by the time students come back, Schrader says he’s willing to pay out of pocket for them himself.

“If I can do my best to help prevent stuff, then I would rather be proactive than reactive for this.”