Quebec's proposal to extend winter break worries parents, educators

Quebec Premier Franois Legault's suggestion of a longer winter holiday for students in the province is raisingquestions and concerns in the Outaouais region.

Legault said the government is studying whether to extend the holiday breakto reduce the spread of COVID-19, and make up lost instructional time inJune or even July.

Currently, 1,174 classrooms in Quebec have beenclosed due to the coronavirus, more than 300 of themduring a 48-hour period this week.

It really is a balancing act- Mike Dubeau, Western Qubec School Board

Amanda DeGrace has three children at Chelsea Elementary School, where there have been no cases so far.

"With all the upheaval that the children had last year, and the challenges for the education staff of getting everyone back to school the end of August, things have been going fairly smoothly," she said.

DeGrace fears the closure would leave working parents with few child-care options, and could leave some children further behind.

Mike Dubeau, director-general of the Western Qubec School Board (WQSB), said he's awaiting details from the province, including whether schools will be closed earlier, or the break will be extended into January.

He said student safety is the priority, but there are concerns about how educators will make up for lost time and eventually reestablish routines.

"It really is a balancing act," Dubeau said.

Different zones, different rules?

Dubeau said there have been 25 cases of COVID-19 within the WQSB, and none withinthe board's northern region. Currently, Gatineau and MRC des Collines-de-l'Outaouais are considered red zones, the highest level on the province's colour-coded scale, while the rest of the Outaouais remains orange, with fewer restrictions in place.

"If that means one set of rules for one group of students and one set of rules for another set, if that's what's best for students, then that's what we'll do,regardless of the complexity," Dubeau said.

Lots of questions still unanswered about extending winter break, Quebec educator says

4 years ago

Duration 0:49

Mike Dubeau, director-general of the Western Quebec School Board, says administrators need to know how long the break will last and how teachers will be expected to make up that time.

Tasha Ausman, a math and science teacher at Philemon-Wright Secondary School in Gatineau,saidwhile there have beencases there, they weren't transmitted within the school.

"If none of the schools in Gatineau has more than one or two cases from now until December, can this be done by zone, as opposed to cancelling a school year or extending a break for everybody inthe whole province?" she asked.

Ausman said it's been frustrating to learn of the province's proposal through news reports, and said teachers need time to prepare for such changes. She's also wary of extending school into the summer.

"If you're to bring school into July it could be a real health concern, especially as classrooms get extremely humid," she said.

Quebec considers closing schools to curb spread of COVID-19

4 years ago

Duration 1:42

Quebec is considering closing schools for about a month during the holidays as classrooms across the province continue to shut down over COVID-19 infections.

Suzanne Tremblay, president of the French-language teachers union in the Outaouais, said the province should move to an online learning programinstead of rearranging the school year.

TheCentre de services scolaires des Draveurs, one of fourFrench public school boards in the region, said extending the school year into the summer may also eat into the time needed for renovations to its aging schools. The board said it hasnot been consulted aboutthe province's proposal.