Prairie South Releases Letter Stating Moose Jaw Schools May Remain Closed Past April 12th

By Robert Thomas

In an April 1st letter to parents signed by superintendent Tony Baldwin and board chair Robert Bachmann from Prairie South School Division (PSSD) parents are advised their is the potential to extend on-line learning past the end of the Easter break on April 12th.

In the letter parents are advised PSSD has met with public health officials and although there has been NO decision made not to re-open schools on April 12th the Division wanted to give parents as much time as possible to make arrangements to care for their children if schools remain closed past April 12th.

“At this point we have not received a recommendation from the Medical Health Officer to any need to extend the period of remote learning in any community in Prairie South,” the letter stated.

The letter did say however PSSD had scheduled meetings next week to discuss the situation and if a recommendation is going to be made to extend school closures past the end of the Easter Break - April 12th.

The letter asks parents to carefully read a letter from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA). Both letters are below in their entireties.

Prairie South closed all of its schools in Moose Jaw and in Caronport effective March 29th. Affiliated school Cornerstone Christian School closed effective March 24th.

The March 31st letter from the SHA instructs parents on how to stop the spread of COVID - 19 and it discusses Variants Of Concern (VOC). The VOCs are mutated strains of the coronavirus which cause COVID - 19.

The VOCs are mutations which are more readily transmissible between humans. All viruses mutate over time but the reasons for the concerns surrounding VOCs is that the cases of COVID - 19 they cause is just as virulent as the original coronavirus.