School District No. 6, which includes the Kimberley Zone, is going ahead with plans to reopen district schools on June 1.
“Based on the information we have received from families, we are expecting between 50 to 60 per cent of children returning to school in June on a part-time basis, as outlined in the restart plan,” said SD6 Superintendent Paul Carriere.
Parents were asked to fill out a survey to inform the district of their intention in regards to sending their children back to school.
Parents still have questions and concerns, Carriere said.
“The level of concern from parents, and the types of questions we have received, varies quite widely. We have provided a district wide communication which is aimed at giving parents a clear picture of the protocols we will have in place, under the guidance of the PHO. “Schools will be sending out a communication to staff and parents on Thursday with more school-specific information. Schools are in the process of finalizing student schedules and will be communicating that information to parents over the next few days.”
At the present time, District staff is working on busing, but Carriere says that it is looking like they will not be able to provide it to everyone who has requested it.
“We will prioritize busing based on distance from the school,” he said.
Districts across the province move from Stage 4 to Stage 3 on June 1. Under Stage 4, in class instruction is limited, and only children of essential service workers, children with disabilities/diverse abilities and students who require additional support have attended five days per week. All other students utilized remote/online instruction.
Moving to Stage 3, the goal is to have 50 per cent of K-5 students in class two to three days per week, and 20 per cent of 6 – 12 students in one day a week. The choice to send your children to school is the parents’ to make.
