Advertisement

Manitoba students to head back to class in September, says education minister

Manitoba's education minister said Monday students will return to class Sept. 8. The Canadian Press file

Manitoba students will be heading back to class in September.

In a tweet Monday Kelvin Goertzen said classes will start Sept. 8 — the normal start time for the school year — and just shy of week after teachers and school staff return to get things ready.

Classroom learning was shut down on March 23 due to COVID-19, although remote learning and some small-group in-class tutoring continued.

Story continues below advertisement

“As expected, the experience with at home learning has been difficult for many,” said Goertzen in string of tweets Monday.

“While there will be a need for supplemental learning opportunities for many students in the next school year, the desire was that it be accommodated within the school year.”

Goertzen said teachers and staff will return to school Sept. 2 “to provide time to prepare spaces, inform staff about health protocols, and engage collaboratively on recovery learning approaches.”

Goertzen said the government’s decision to reopen schools follows public feedback on the province’s plan to reopen services during the pandemic.

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.

Get weekly health news

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“Thank you to parents, teachers and students that gave feedback on the recent back to school survey,” he tweeted.

Story continues below advertisement

“We listened to your feedback and it was clear that teachers and administration value time to prepare and collaborate prior to the resumption of school in the fall.”

Goertzen said more information on the province’s plan to reopen schools will be announced soon.

“In the interest of planning for families and schools however we wanted to provide this information today,” he said in a tweet.

On June 1 the province allowed some students to head back to school for one-on-one or small group sessions with their teachers as part of Phase 2 of Manitoba’s reopening plan.

Story continues below advertisement

–With files from The Canadian Press

Click to play video: 'Winnipeg high school graduate address Class of 2020'
Winnipeg high school graduate address Class of 2020

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus.

Story continues below advertisement

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.

Sponsored content

AdChoices