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​Division's pandemic response highlighted for Board of Education

April 27, 2021

boardofedapril2021.jpgInformation about the school division's ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic was shared with trustees during the Board of Education meeting held April 20.

Senior administration continues to meet regularly with medical health officers regarding the pandemic and its impact on learning and school communities. The division is in possession of approximately 10,000 rapid test kits and is awaiting direction from the provincial response planning team to coordinate third-party testers, standardized permission forms, and processes in dealing with health data privacy concerns.

Student and staff safety is the top priority in addressing the challenges created by the pandemic. The division's administrative team is focused on maintaining timely and effective communication with staff, parents, and the community to ensure stakeholders are well informed on the response of the division and its schools.

Other meeting highlights included:

  • Trustees received a strategic plan update on French immersion programming. Offered in nine elementary schools, four collegiates, and the Online Learning Centre, the French immersion program provides instruction in both French and English with the goal of students becoming functionally bilingual by the end of Grade 12.
  • The Celebrating Excellence portion of the meeting highlighted how the division supports students who have a visual impairment and described the importance of braille and tactile graphics that allow students who are blind to access the curriculum. A Grade 8 student from wâhkôhtowin school shared how he uses braille and other assistive technology.

Reports and information presented at board meetings can be found at www.saskatoonpublicschools.ca. The next meeting of the Board of Education is Tuesday, May 11, 2021, at 5 p.m. Members of the public may attend regular board meetings virtually. Please contact  Estelle Allington, executive assistant to the Board of Education, to request a link to the virtual meeting.