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
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.