INNISFAIL - With in-school classes now cancelled until at least the end of the 2019-2020 school year in June, Chinook’s Edge School Division (CESD) officials are now examining possible options for restarting classes in the fall.
“We are having lots of discussions and meetings with our administrators as we anticipate what the fall could look like. If physical distancing stays in place but they open the schools we will need clarity on that," said superintendent Kurt Sacher.
“When we know the expectations from Alberta Health and Alberta Education we will move ahead. We are in heavy discussions here at head office.”
The province is currently looking at three options, he said.
“One option is a full return to school,” he said. “From the best information we have that looks unlikely, to have it full-blown without any restrictions.”
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The second option would be for classes to resume with some health restrictions in place, he said.
The third option would be to keep classes closed but continue with online learning, he said.
“We are expecting it to be, at least on the information that we have right now, is that it would be some kind of a hybrid. We are trying to work through all of those logistics and anticipate as much as we can,” he said.
There may be different considerations regarding how things move forward depending on the grade level, he said.
Chinook’s Edge schools do not have enough space to allow for social distancing and full class sizes, he said.
“If we are expected to adhere to physical distance, we would not be able to accommodate all of the kids on any given day,” he said.
The same would apply to school bus transportation, he said.
“If you are physical distancing, that would limit our ability to fill up the buses,” he said.
