Today (June 9), the Government of Saskatchewan announced classes in Saskatchewan Prekindergarten to Grade 12 schools will resume in-classroom learning for the upcoming school year. Saskatchewan schools have been closed since March 20 when an indefinite suspension of in-class learning was announced in response to COVID-19.

The school year is set to start as early as Sept. 1, based on local school division calendars.

“Reopening schools is a significant milestone for our province, and an important step for families to get back to a new-normal,” deputy-premier and education minister Gordon Wyant said. “Thank you to the teachers and staff for the tremendous job they have done connecting with their students while in-class learning has been suspended.”

The Ministry of Education, with the input of the Education Response Planning Team, will distribute public health guidelines being developed in concert with the chief medical health officer. The guidelines will be available to school division as early as next week to ensure schools are safe for students, staff and caregivers.

The Government of Saskatchewan’s priority continues to be the health and safety of students, staff and caregivers. The chief medical health officer will continue providing advice and recommendations as the planning and implementation process takes place.

To provide provincial level direction on these operational matters, the Education Response Planning Team, which includes representation from the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association, the Saskatchewan Association of School Business Officials and the League of Educational Administrators, Directors and Superintendents, will work with school divisions to navigate through the logistics.

While a return to the classroom in the fall is the scenario being planned for, there will be contingency plans in place in the event there becomes an elevated transmission risk, and in-class learning cannot resume as planned, either regionally or provincially.