Effective immediately, all classes are cancelled for all students across Alberta, including Livingstone Range School Division. At a press conference from Edmonton on Sunday, March 15, Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange made the announcement and shared the following with school jurisdictions: “The safety of our students, teachers and staff is the number one priority for all of us – for me and my Cabinet colleagues, for Dr. Hinshaw and for school staff. “With that in mind, we will be indefinitely cancelling classes across the province. Students are expected to stay home. “We are all in this together. And I hope you all agree this is the right decision.” Livingstone Range School Division teachers and staff will still be expected to work, and student progression will be a top priority for all. In the coming days, we will work on the details of what learning looks like for our students. We will communicate this plan to parents as details become more clear. We understand that this will have a profound impact on families. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we all contribute to flattening the curve of outbreak and keeping Albertans as safe as possible. As Minister LaGrange said, we indeed are all in this together. We will continue to communicate with staff and parents via our usual channels. Please check www.lrsd.ca and https://www.lrsd.ca/our-division/covid-19 for regular updates.
Superintendent Update for Parents – March 17, 2020
To: All Parents/GuardiansFrom: Darryl Seguin, Superintendent
Unprecedented and uncharted. We’re hearing these words a lot lately. In my 27 years as an educator, I’ve never seen anything like what we’re experiencing with COVID-19. It certainly is remarkable.
As per Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw’s recommendations, Alberta Education has now suspended classes at all Alberta schools indefinitely. Regular classes in all Livingstone Range School Division schools are suspended, no buses will be running, and all students should stay at home.
The Minister of Education has made it clear that this interruption of classes will not impact progression of students to the next grade or graduation of our Grade 12 students.
As we do not know how long classes will be suspended, we want to provide opportunities for students to pick up their personal belongings. Your school will be in touch with you on these details in the days ahead.
Yesterday the Associate Superintendents and I were on a call with the Ministry of Education and we are working on a plan for education continuity that will be consistent across the province. We’ve been asked to carefully take the time necessary to develop a plan that will work in the best interest of our students.
Our staff are working and planning for what lies ahead. The schools are very quiet, and students are already missed by administrators, teachers, and staff.
As we work out the many details of what education in Livingstone Range School Division looks like in the coming weeks and months, we will continue to keep parents informed. You can expect an additional update early in the week of March 23rd.
Thank you for your support and patience during these challenging times. Make sure to wash your hands and make sure to take care of each other. We’re all in this unprecedented time together, and together we really can do amazing things.
Darryl Seguin Superintendent, Livingstone Range School Division