Ensuring access to education for all students

A message from Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Education

The provincial government is providing clarity to school authorities to ensure all students have access to in-person learning and family choice for masking in schools is protected. Read today’s news release.

Through regulatory changes effective immediately, students are now able to continue in-person learning, if that is what they want, when a school authority needs to temporarily shift to at-home learning due to operational challenges resulting from student absenteeism or staff illness. School authorities must also continue to offer courses and preserve the integrity of educational programming, whether in-person or at-home.

Additionally school authorities will not be able to deny children and students from receiving an in-person education due to their personal decision to wear or not wear a mask. The masking regulatory change does not apply to teachers and other school staff.

With the priority of in-person learning being clearly set in regulation, school authorities will be better able to manage their staff resources. These changes will set a provincewide standard that will bring clarity and consistency for all school authorities.

As was the case before the pandemic, the Public Health Act provides the overarching direction on all public health matters, and it would continue to prevail over the Education Act and associated regulations in a future public health emergency.

Letter to Parents-November 24, 2022