Yesterday the Quebec government announced that daycare services and primary schools would reopen on May 11 (outside the Montreal area) and on May 19 (Montreal area), with optional attendance until the start of the next school year. In Nunavik, all schools and adult education centres will remain closed until the start of the next school year.

The decision to end the school year was made on March 24 by the Council of Commissioners. It took into consideration the fact that in Nunavik, the school year ends on May 29. An important number of our teachers and staff come from outside Nunavik. They would need to be quarantined for 14 days upon their arrival. This would leave schools with no time to reopen in May.

Instead of bringing everyone back to Nunavik for a 3-week period, the Commissioners made the decision to focus resources and efforts on planning for the next school year. Support to students is also being provided through the identification and development of educational resources that can be used at home, in a family setting.

On April 15, the school board launched Nunavik-IcE, a web portal of educational resources in Inuktitut, French and English. The school board will roll-out during the first week of May a mentoring program for secondary students who are planning to attend college next year. Mentored students will be provided with a learning plan, guidance and support tailored to their needs. This program is implemented with the participation of our school administrators, teachers and in partnership with Frontier College tutors.

All our administrative offices are currently open. Employees assigned to these offices are teleworking from home. School and adult education centre administrators are currently teleworking and providing the required follow-ups in the workplace for any emergencies and ensuring the delivery of essential services.