Premier Jason Kenney yesterday announced new mandatory public health measures to help stop the spike of COVID-19 and protect Alberta’s health system.

This circuit-breaker includes a temporary move to at-home learning for Kindergarten – Grade 12 students on Friday, May 7, 2021. Students will return to in-class learning on Tuesday, May 25.

Pre-Kindergarten programs will continue to operate, with teachers and education assistants leading classes as they have been during the year.

Schools will work with parents to provide the required services and supports to students with complex needs. Parents should work with their teachers and school principals to discuss appropriate arrangements and scheduling. Specialized-needs school buses will continue to operate as scheduled.

There will be no changes to the schedule and operation of the Black Gold Distance Learning Program.

“I want to stress that the safety protocols in our schools work,” said Superintendent of Schools Bill Romanchuk. “There has been very little transmission occurring in schools. Alberta Education has stated that the main reasons for this shift to online learning is to reduce the number of students in quarantine due to being close contacts, and to address the chronic shortage of substitute teachers.”

This two-week period of at-home learning will see classes delivered similar to how they were during the at-home learning in December and January. School staff is fully equipped for delivering this mode of instruction and anticipate a smooth transition.

Live, online classes will be scheduled daily, with students and teachers interacting with each other in real-time. It will be similar to in-class instruction, but will use digital platforms such as Google Classroom, Google Meet, Moodle, and other secure Division applications. Teaching will follow provincial learning outcomes as required by Alberta Education.

To participate in live virtual classes, students will require the use of a personal computer, laptop or a Chromebook at home; a smartphone is not sufficient. Students who do not have access to a computer or Chromebook at home can sign one out from their schools.

For more information on the temporary move to at-home learning, please refer to the May 2021 At-Home Learning Guide.