Schools in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows will not be opening up their doors once spring break wraps-up.
On March 17 the provincial government announced it will be indefinitely suspending all in-class instruction for BC’s Kindergarten to Grade 12 learners.
“The temporary measure is being put in place to help keep students, staff, families and the wider community safe as the province responds to the COVID-19 outbreak,” said School District 42 superintendent Sylvia Russell.
READ MORE: Doctors at Maple Ridge hospital plead for people, especially young people, to stay home
Information about this decision can be found in a letter from education minister, Rob Fleming
In the letter, Fleming stresses that every student will receive a final mark, all students on track to graduate this year will graduate, and the province is working with post-secondary institutions to ensure the transition for Grade 12 graduates is supported.
The letter also outlines a number of key directives for school districts. School districts are expected to:
- begin planning for continuity of learning;
- develop plans to maintain some level of service for children whose parents are performing essential services;
- address the question of important services like school meal programs and childcare services operating on school grounds.
School district 42 has already begun some of this planning work as a part of their Pandemic Response Plan. They have committed to providing students and their parents with additional information as soon as the plans are fully developed.
Updates will be provided through the parent portal and the school district website at https://www.sd42.ca/coronavirus-district-response/.
For information about COVID-19, visit the BC Centre for Disease Control website http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19.
“I know these are challenging and uncertain times, but I am confident we will get through them together,” superintendent Russel said.
“Thank you for your patience as we work through this evolving situation.”
ronan.p.odoherty@blackpress.ca
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