Kahnawake delays gradual reopening of schools

Elementary and high school students in Kahnawake will get to stay home a little longer this year. There have been no new cases reported in the community in the last two months and the local COVID-19 task force aims to keep it that way. 

Students will gradually head back to school in Kahnawake, a Mohawk territory on Montreal's South Shore, starting Sept. 21 instead of Sept. 1, the Kahnawake COVID-19 Task Force announced Thursday. The schools will fully reopen Sept. 28. 

"Although Kahnawake has a low transmission rate at this time and we probably are in the best situation to open because of that, we realize there are a lot of unknowns happening outside of our community. We are starting to see a rise in cases," said Robin Delaronde, director of the Kahnawake Education Centre. 

Delaronde said they are waiting to see how the reopening goes in the rest of the province, so that they can be prepared to adjust COVID-19 security measures accordingly. 

When school does resume, teachers will be encouraged to hold class outdoors whenever possible, and students will remain in their classrooms for lunch. Recess times will be staggered and up to the discretion of the teachers. 

Delaronde said delaying the start of the school year will also allow for educators and school bus companies to better prepare for the students' arrival. 

"Our schools are working right now to take care of the layouts, making sure that the plexiglass is there, making sure that the rooms are spaced out and making sure that everything is in order," she said. 

"Our goal is to support parents," Delaronde said."Our goal is to support children and educators as they transition into our new school."

Teachers will go back to work at the beginning of September as planned, where they will get special training as well as wellness activities to ensure a smoother transition, Delaronde said. 

"Having a slower approach allows us to ensure that hygiene measures are in place, that health and safety measures are respected, that adaptations can be made if required," said Lisa Westaway, executive director of the Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre and co-leader of Kahnawake's COVID-19 Task Force. 

The first few weeks of the school year will be dedicated to teaching students how to use online learning tools in case of a second wave of infections and an eventual shutdown.

Teachers will also hold one-on-one meetings with parents to address their concerns, and parents will have the option of homeschooling. 

This is not the first situation where Kahnawake officials have decided to take things slower than the provincial government. Where public indoor gatherings of 250 or more are now allowed in Quebec, Kahnawake is still capping gatherings at 50 people. 

Despite the fact that the community has not seen any new cases since June, Westaway says it is crucial that residents remain cautious — especially with so many cases reported in the Montérégie region this summer. 

"We'll just continue to make decisions based on what's happening around us in the best interest of the community," said Westaway. 

Bars and casinos have also remained closed. 

Since the start of the pandemic, 23 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Kahnawake. All have recovered.