Lethbridge Schools Prepare for All Scenarios as Alberta Extends Winter Break for Students – Lethbridge | The Canadian News

K-12 students in Lethbridge were preparing to return to classrooms next week, but on Thursday the province announced that the return to classes was delayed until January 10.

The extended winter break was announced by Education Minister Adriana LaGrange in response to the growing number of Omicron cases. The additional time is intended to allow time for school authorities to collect additional data and assess staff implications and potential operational impacts.

“Many are concerned about potential staffing challenges,” LaGrange said Thursday. “This is not limited to classroom teachers, and includes other personnel such as bus drivers, custodians, and instructional assistants, as well as administrators and maintenance workers.”

The Lethbridge School Division said in a statement to Global News that it was also announced that online learning delivery will not be offered next week, as well as all school-related activities such as extracurriculars and co-curriculars.

“The Lethbridge School Division anticipates more information next week from the provincial government on what the return to school will look like on January 10,” the statement continued. “At this time, Minister LaGrange stated that the government anticipates that the school will be in person on January 10.”

Lethbridge Holy Spirit Catholic Schools Division delivered a letter to the parents Thursday afternoon with an early reaction to the decision.

“During this time, school jurisdictions have been asked to determine the impact the Omicron variant will have on staffing and prepare for in-person learning the week of January 10,” said Superintendent Ken Sampson.

“Depending on subsequent government decisions, additional changes may be required and will be communicated when known.”

The province also announced Thursday that 8.6 million rapid tests and 16.5 million masks will be distributed to schools for staff and students beginning the week of January 10.

Diploma exams in January were also canceled across the province, in order to support high school students whose learning has been disrupted.

Alberta Teachers Association President Jason Schilling said he hopes the province will listen more closely to the experiences of teachers in making decisions that impact education in the future.

“Unfortunately, the education minister has chosen not to engage significantly with teachers, and the association was not consulted on the announcement made yesterday,” Schilling said.

LaGrange said Thursday that another update will be made late next week regarding next steps.