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School District No. 43 (Coquitlam)
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Superintendent's Letter to Parents /Guardians re: Planning Beyond Spring Break

March 20, 2020

​To: All Parents/Guardians of School District 43

Re: Planning Beyond March 30, 2020

As you know, Minister of Education Rob Fleming and Premier John Horgan have announced the suspension of in-class instruction in B.C. schools until further notice. The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated many changes in our lives and routines, all of which require us as a community to cooperate, adjust and adapt to the new challenges we face. The education system will also have to adjust and adapt in the coming months in the interest of protecting the health and safety of your children.

As a result of this announcement all School District 43 (Coquitlam) schools will not be open for in-class instruction and students will not report to school following spring break on Monday, March 30th. The SD43 Board of Education and District Staff have been receiving information from the Ministry of Education since the announcement to suspend in-class instruction. The Ministry has identified numerous priorities, with one of the most immediate being how districts might provide a ‘continuity of instruction’ to students. At this time, we are unable to comment on how this will occur and we are not prepared to speculate on how districts will be operationalizing this. Currently, we are analyzing the priorities the government has provided the K-12 educational system and are determining possible options moving forward.

The Board and District Staff are working to develop a plan that will provide educational services to students, in some form, in the weeks after Spring Break. While details are unclear, SD43 remains committed to meeting the educational needs of students and services will be prioritized to best serve our families. It is important to keep in mind that a fully formed plan will not be ready on March 30th. Developing a new mode of instruction for our 32,000 students is not something that can be created overnight and it will take considerable work and cooperation with our teachers and support staff. All staff will connect and return to work after spring break and together we will develop a delivery model to continue providing educational opportunities to students.

Regarding grade 12 students, graduation and transition to the next grade level, the most recent communication from Minister of Education Rob Fleming indicates:
“Every student will receive a final mark, and all students on track to move to the next grade 
will do so in the fall. For grades 10 and 11 students, graduation assessments will be postponed. 
Every student eligible to graduate from Grade 12 this year will graduate.”

Please be reminded that information SD43 has distributed on behalf of provincial health authorities regarding COVID-19 can be found on the district website. For now, it seems there are more questions than answers but SD43 remains committed to providing information to families as soon as it is available. 

A ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page has been set up at www.sd43.bc.ca/FAQ ​ – further questions may be submitted on that page as well. Cooperation and patience are required as we all work together as a community to address the educational needs of our children in these challenging times.

Sincerely, 
 
Patricia Gartland
Superintendent/CEO


School District No. 43 (Coquitlam)

1080 Winslow Avenue, Coquitlam BC
V3J 0M6
604-939-9201 604-939-7828