The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District has been unable to access many of its buildings due to the current state of emergency, resulting in the closure of all schools in the St. John‘s area for the rest of the week.
Student safety is the main issue of concern, the school board said in an email to local school administrators.
“In many areas where states of emergency have been in place, district staff members have been unable to gain access to our buildings in order to appropriately assess or clear properties to a level that is safe for students and staff. We will need time to complete those tasks,” the board wrote.
In addition, for the entire Avalon region only, all high school mid-term, final, and public exams scheduled to begin the week of January 27 will be delayed until the week of February 3. #nlschools #nlwx
— NLESD (@NLESDCA) January 21, 2020
Road conditions in many areas still pose challenges to the safe passage of students who walk to and from school as well as the movement of school buses, the district explained, saying staff has been working closely with the province and various municipalities to stay updated on snow and road conditions.
“We know, as our communities begin to return to normal operations, that families will need to make plans for their school-aged children and so we want to provide as much notice as possible,” the email said.
High school midterm, final and public exams, due to take place next week, have been postponed to the week of Feb. 3 for students in the Avalon region only.
The district said school status decisions in other areas will be made at a local level. Updates on individual schools are available at nlesd.ca.
