Letter to LLRIB Education Staff

March 18, 2020

Dear Staff,

I would like to express my appreciation for your work and dedication to our students. We have been confronted with a number of challenges and are making every effort to support our children as we adapt to this ever-changing new reality.

LLRIB and Education has issued the following:

• Starting Thursday, March 19, all LLRIB schools will pause educational operations until further. This one week away will allow the Response Planning Team to put in longer term plans to supports students, staff and families moving forward to ensure that no student’s education is negatively impacted by the closing of schools indefinitely.
• All school staff stay home until end of day Friday, March 27. This includes teachers and all support staff.
• All staff be assured that time at home will be paid in full and there will be no loss of benefits.
• All Education Central office staff will continue to provide services.

Please be assured that LLRIB Education is consistently working together with LLRIB Health, LLRIB Administration, and regularly sharing information with NLSD #113 to maintain consistent and open lines of communication. We ask that you respect the uniqueness of the situation and the direction LLRIB Education is taking in support of all our LLRIB community members. On March 15, 2020 the Saskatchewan Chief Medical Health Officer indicated that school closures would be based on a number of factors including:

• Evidence of sustained transmission within the community
• Rapid increase of local cases
• Transmission without a known link to travel or confirmed cases.

To date there is no evidence that any of the above three criteria have been met within any of our schools. However, as a preventative and proactive approach school closures will begin March 19^th for Pre-K – grade 12.

All staff will be at home from Monday, March 23rd – Friday March 27^th, 2020.  The intent of the week is to take a learning pause. Please take care of yourself and reassure family members with up to date and accurate information.  Please note daycare centres will remain open to support frontline staff workers.

Please check LLRIB.Com for regular updates and after Friday, March 20^th parents can call the Public Health Services at 306-425-1720.

Please keep in contact with your principal by Friday, March 27^th for updates on plans moving forward.