Letter to parents says Saskatoon's public schools could see disruption in operations

Children raise their hand in a classroom. (Narongchai Hlawprasert/Adobe Stock Photo/CNN)

SASKATOON -

Saskatoon Public Schools says a staffing crunch because of rising COVID cases could lead to disruption in school operations, according to a letter sent to parents.

The letter, issued on Wednesday, says the last eight days have seen as many cases reported in public schools as the first four months of the school year. It adds the volume of cases is impacting staff and has disrupted some classes.

“To address staffing challenges, we are reassigning educational staff from other division positions to act as substitutes in the classrooms. We are also redeploying staff from other support positions to fill in for caretaking and administrative staff in schools” reads the letter.

It says if several cases are reported in a classroom, the class may be temporarily moved online. Collegiates could see a specific class cancelled for a day if no substitute teacher can be found, contracted bus and taxi service could be affected, and families with children requiring one-on-one educational support may be asked to keep their children at home for the day if a substitute educational assistant (EA) cannot be assigned.

“We are making families aware of these possibilities so you can prepare contingency plans for your children” the letter reads.

If any disruptions occur, the letter says families of affected students will be notified as soon as possible.