Students in the Beaufort Delta are shifting to online learning and schools will remain closed for another week as the Covid-19 outbreak affecting at least five communities in the area shows little signs of tapering off.
A letter to parents in Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk from Beaufort Delta Divisional Education Council superintendent Devin Roberts was sent out Jan. 7. Roberts told Inuvik Drum all schools will now remain closed until Jan. 17, excluding Moose Kerr School in Aklavik which will remain closed until Jan. 24.
“The Covid-19 situation in the Northwest Territories continues to evolve and we are seeing rapidly rising case numbers,” said Roberts. “As of Jan. 6, the NWT had the highest number of infections recorded in a 24-hour period ever in the NWT and there are infections in every region.
“I want to emphasize that every school in the NWT has safety guidelines in place that were approved by the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer and that these measures are in place to limit the introduction and transmission of Covid-19.”
Students will shift to remote learning for the time being. Packages will be made available online on Jan. 10. Teachers will be reaching out to parents and students over the next week to assist in the transition to an online platform.
A notice on East Three Secondary School’s Facebook page notes any new material presented online will be considered supplementary and not have the potential to negatively influence student grades, but is also essential for future lessons. Any assignments issued before the new year are still due and subject to grading. Grade 12 diploma exams have been cancelled territory-wide.
Families unable to access materials online are asked to reach out to the school or a teacher to make arrangements for learning materials.
Covid-19 screening kits for students are available by reaching out to the local school. The kits are to be used within 24 hours of a student returning to school.
In addition, the school district has is directing students to an online metal health program for youth aged 13 to 24 called BreathingRoom, which provides techniques and lessons in learning to cope with stress, depression and anxiety.