Some B.C. schools forced to close due to flooding reopen with rotating in-person learning for students
Some schools that have been closed for weeks in southern B.C. because of flooding are slowly reopening.
On Friday, the Nicola-Similkameen School District announced its phased reopening plan for schools in Merritt and Princeton, both of which faced massive evacuation orders due to a series of storms last month.
“School district staff, principals, teachers and school staff have been working day and night over the last two weeks, assessing and preparing facilities to get students back into schools, which I’m pleased to say started yesterday,” said Supt. Stephen McNiven, in a news release.
"This includes sourcing spaces, cleaning up the schools, bringing in clean drinking water and organizing classrooms."
The school district said Merritt Bench Elementary and Nicola Canford Elementary reopened to students in the catchment and for students from other catchments if their caregivers provide essential services. École Élémentaire Collettville is expected to reopen next week.
However, three other schools – Merritt Central Elementary, Diamond Vale Elementary and Merritt Secondary – all sustained major damage and the district says they won't reopen "in the near future." Details on the learning plans for students from those schools are on the district's website.
Meanwhile, the only school accessible in Princeton is Vermilion Forks Elementary, which is expected to reopen on Monday. All kindergarten to Grade 12 students in the community will have a rotating face-to-face learning program, while doing other schooling online.
"This will give all students the opportunity to reconnect with friends and school staff, and provide what we believe to be a short-term solution for a return to in-person learning for all," the district said.
LOWER MAINLAND SCHOOLS REOPEN
Lower Mainland districts that faced periodic closures over the past couple of weeks have also made moves towards reopening.
Schools in Fraser-Cascade were closed off and on since the Nov. 15 storm, but all schools besides Boston Bar Elementary School reopened on Thursday. They reopened for one ay on Tuesday, but had to close briefly again on Wednesday due to an early morning landslide on Highway 7.
Meanwhile, two Abbotsford schools have remained closed because of flood damage and two others have continued with remote learning. About 300 students have been displaced.
All this week, Robert Bateman Secondary and WJ Mouat Secondary had virtual learning for students. Meanwhile, arrangements were made for students at Barrowtown and Upper Sumas school communities.
All schools in Mission and Chilliwack, which both had recent closures in recent weeks because of flooding, were open this week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.