Enhanced measures to protect our school communities

The Province of Prince Edward Island, in partnership with the English and French language school boards, has updated back to school plans to further support enhanced public health measures announced today and protect school communities.

For the next two weeks – from Monday, December 7 through Friday, December 18 – high schools in the Capital region will move to remote learning. This includes Colonel Gray, Charlottetown Rural and Bluefield High Schools, as well as students in grades 10 through 12 at École François-Buote. 

These measures are being taken due to the recent cases of COVID-19 in the Capital region, the demographic of the positive cases and the cohorting challenges at the high school level. 

“Our education system has been working hard since the start of this pandemic to ensure that regardless of the circumstances posed by COVID-19, all students have access to high-quality learning,” said Minister of Education and Lifelong Learning, Brad Trivers. “We are committed to providing the resources needed to keep students learning and staff supported. Our school plans will continue to be updated as the situation changes.”

Since April, the Department of Education and Lifelong Learning has been working with the province’s education authorities – the Public Schools Branch and la Commission Scolaire de langue française – to ensure a transition to remote learning can occur successfully. This includes:

• curriculum revisions to address potential learning gaps and prioritize key foundational learning outcomes early in the school year;
• identifying the internet and technology needs of students;
• establishing protocols to handle the distribution of school devices to students quickly and efficiently as needed; and,
• introducing and integrating digital learning into the classroom to familiarize students and parents with online educational platforms.

Teachers and education staff at Colonel Grey, Charlottetown Rural and Bluefield will be at school on Monday, December 7 to prepare for remote learning. There will be no instructional lessons for students. 

Additionally, there will be no instructional lessons on Monday, December 7 for grades 10-12 at École François-Buote however, grades k-9 will continue as normal.

Remote learning will begin Tuesday. Schools will communicate directly with students and parents through email, school website and social media. 

In order to maintain routines and offer students an equitable and consistent learning experience, a regular daily schedule will be followed wherever possible. For instance, if on Day 2, a student has grade 10 math at 10:15, then the lesson for math will begin at 10:15. A resource guide is available to help parents navigate online learning platforms.

A plan for students with special educational needs will be outlined in the coming days. 

With the move to remote learning for high schools in the Capital region, bussing schedules may be impacted. 

Today, the Province of Prince Edward Island also announced that before and after school programs, as well as the community use of schools, at all 62 Island schools will be paused for the next two weeks. 

Media Contact:
April Gallant
Department of Education and Lifelong Learning
902-314-2753
aldgallant@gov.pe.ca