Most Regina-area schools to delay return to in-person classes until May

Most Regina-area schools will extend a period of remote learning that has been in place since the end of March. 

Regina Public Schools (RPS), Regina Catholic School Division (RCS) and Conseil des écoles fransaskoises (CEF) announced on Tuesday that they will extend remote learning for all pre-kindergarten to Grade 12 students. 

RPS and RCS have said they will look to return to in-person classes on May 3. 

CEF has said that its schools in Moose Jaw and Regina will tentatively look to return to in-person classes on May 10. 

The decision was reached in consultation and with the recommendation of Regina medical health officers, according to a news release from RPS.

"We would have preferred to have students return to their school desks to resume in-class learning," says Greg Enion, director of education for RPS. "We have been informed that returning to schools now would not be the safest course, and that it would not benefit our city's effort to reduce our COVID-19 caseloads. Remote learning is not ideal. We are confident that many of our students are continuing their learning."

Prairie Valley to resume class next week

Prairie Valley School Division (PVSD), which encompasses a large area outside Regina city limits, has broken with the other Regina-area school divisions and will resume in-person classes. 

"Today, after much consideration and deliberation, Prairie Valley School Division's Administration and Board of Education have determined it is time for our students to return to the classroom," read a letter from the school division addressed to parents and guardians of students. 

The letter said its decision had been endorsed by the Saskatchewan Health Association. 

PVSD said it will look to respond to COVID-19 on a case-by-case, community-by-community basis due its large geographical size. 

RPS began remote learning for grades 9 to 12 on March 24 and  for pre-kindergarten to Grade 8 students on March 29. 

Students were originally to return to class on April 12. The deadline was pushed back to April 23 before Tuesday's announcement. 

RCS began remote learning for all of its students on March 29. 

In a news release, RCS says the COVID-19 situation in Regina is still a concern for public health officials. 

"We continue to keep all those impacted by the pandemic, including all of us within Regina Catholic Schools communities in your prayers," the release read. 

The three school divisions delaying a return to in-person classes say any future decision on a return will be contingent on the state of COVID-19 in Regina.