Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said schooling will not begin as originally scheduled to allow school boards additional time to plan for the return of students amid rising COVID-19 numbers. She also announced that Grade 12 diploma exams will be cancelled.
The school holiday break in Alberta will be extended an extra week, as Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announced Thursday that students will not return to formal learning until Jan. 10.
LaGrange said schooling will not begin next week as originally scheduled to allow school boards additional time to plan for the return of students amid rising COVID-19 numbers. She also announced that Grade 12 diploma exams will be cancelled and the province will provide 8.6 million rapid at-home tests and 16.5 million medical-grade masks to students and teachers across the education system.
“This pause will give school authorities the time they need to assess and consider staffing and operational impacts, and I’m confident that this additional time to plan will suffice school authorities for a successful startup,” said LaGrange.
The decision comes after British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and several Maritime provinces all delayed the return to in-person learning.
LaGrange said it is difficult to assess the COVID-19 picture in schools with students still on holidays and the highly transmissible Omicron variant spreading across Alberta. She said many kids would most likely be forced to stay home. She said concerns around staffing, including teachers as well as other staff, were raised by school authorities.
As of Wednesday, there had been 7,025 Omicron cases identified in Alberta. Data posted to the provincial website shows the recent spike in cases has led to an increase in infections among school-aged children. The rolling seven-day average of cases per 100,000 Albertans aged five to 11 was 29.14 on Christmas Day, an increase from 15.14 cases per 100,000 on Dec. 14. Albertans aged 12 to 19 saw a similar spike to 38.43 per 100,000 on Dec. 25, up from 4.57 on Dec. 12.
LaGrange said the effect of COVID-19 on schools will be reassessed closer to Jan. 10 to help ensure that a return to schools is successful.
“I do hope that what I’m sharing today offers you some of the assurance that we are in fact taking this very seriously and, of course, always putting the safety of our students and our staff as our No. 1 priority,” said LaGrange.
LaGrange said she understands delaying a return to schools will cause challenges, noting many parents will be returning to work next week. She did not provide any updates on additional supports for parents or families who are adversely affected, but noted daycares and other facilities across Alberta will remain open.
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