Dear Parents and Students,
As you are no doubt aware, the entire Western Québec School Board territory has been impacted by the wildfires that continue to burn in northern Québec and Ontario. I wish to assure you that the senior administration team has been in regular contact with officials from Public Health, and as a board, we are respecting the directives they are issuing.
Firstly, Public health has stated clearly that it is safe to keep our schools open; although we do have some WQSB families that have been evacuated, none of our schools or centres are at risk. Public Health has issued the following recommendations, however, which I have shared with all of our principals and centre directors, along with the directive to ensure that they are applied.
- Schools are to remain open
- Windows in schools are to remain closed, however they may be opened for short periods of time (ie. 5-10 minutes) provided there are no students in the room (ie. before school, during recess breaks)
- Students are to remain inside the school during the school day; there are to be no classes or activities held outside (ie. Physical Education, noon-hour activites)
- Students may be taken out for a 10 minute walk during the course of the day
- Students with asthma or other diagnosed respiratory problems should refrain from being outside at any time
Please note that members of our senior administration team are scheduled to meet with Public Health officials each day this week, so that recommended actions may be reviewed and updated as necessary.
I will continue to provide you with updated information as I receive it. Meanwhile, I wish all of you safety and good health, with the hope that the wildfires will soon subside.
Sincerely,
GEORGE SINGFIELD
Directeur général / Director of Human Resources/Secretary General