Regina Catholic School Division moves all students to online learning

The Regina Catholic School Division is sending students home until January.

On Monday, Regina Public Schools announced it was closing school facilities and moving students to online learning. Now the Catholic school division has informed parents it is moving to Level 4 of its COVID-19 protocols, meaning students in all Catholic schools will be learning remotely from home.

The change will be in effect from Monday to Jan. 8, with the exception of the holiday break. That’s still to take place from Dec. 21 to Jan. 1.

A media release from the Catholic division says the decision was made due to higher numbers of COVID cases in Regina, growing fear and anxiety related to the pandemic that has resulted in a drop in student attendance, difficulty getting substitute teachers into classes, and “growing concerns about contacting families with direction to isolate.”

The release also cites “alignment with Public Health directives,” but to date there has been no order from the province or the Saskatchewan Health Authority to remove children from schools.

Students will be “engaged from home,” with mandatory school work delivered remotely each day. The division is asking kids to remain in class this week to prepare for remote learning. Students in specialized programming will work directly with school staff to determine how they will attend classes.