Iqaluit students to make up cancelled classes during winter break

Iqaluit students will have to attend classes during winter break this year because of higher than normal cold weather school closures. (FILE PHOTO)

Students at Iqaluit’s four English-language schools will have classes from March 30 to the morning of April 2 after all, the Iqaluit District Education Authority announced March 11.

IDEA schools had marked the week of March 30, leading into the start of the city’s 50th annual Toonik Tyme spring festival, as “staff sessional days,” and a full week off for all students.

That all changed when IDEA and Qikiqtani School Operations decided Iqaluit schools needed to make up for several cancelled school days this winter.

“This year, our schools have been cancelled more than usual for emergencies, frozen pipes and weather-related conditions,” the IDEA stated in a brief announcement on its website.

Iqaluit’s only French-language school, Ecole des Trois-Soleils is not administered by IDEA, and will have regularly-scheduled classes March 30 to April 2.

Joamie and Nakasuk elementary schools, Aqsarniit Middle School and Inuksuk High School will have classes that week, through to the morning of Thursday, April 2. The schools will close at noon on April 2 “to celebrate Toonik Tyme Civic Holiday,” the IDEA stated.

“The schools have been closed for approximately 45 hours in total this school year for various reasons, including weather-related closures, frozen pipes, and emergency closures,” IDEA chairperson Gwen Healy told Nunatsiaq News by email, March 13.

“Every year, the elementary schools have an additional 38 hours built into their school calendar in anticipation of closures, while the middle and high schools have 20 hours,” she said. “The middle school and high school have a smaller ‘cushion’ because they are required to meet a higher number of hours of instruction in the school year.

“The additional 3.5 days will help the high school and middle school recover their lost instructional hours and create a cushion in anticipation of spring blizzards, which also normally contribute to school closures at this time of year.”

The City of Iqaluit’s administrative offices will be closed April 2 and April 3 for Toonik Tyme celebrations, and April 6 for Easter, the city announced March 12.

Iqaluit’s recreation department offices and facilities will also be closed, with the exception of the Arctic Winter Games Complex and Youth Centre on Thursday April 2 and on Friday, April 3.

Regular water and sewer services and garbage collection will continue as normal on those days.

Schools in several communities throughout Nunavut have cancelled more days of classes than usual this winter due to cold weather and the technical problems extreme weather caused in some buildings.

The issue surfaced in Nunavut’s legislative assembly late last month when Joe Enook, MLA for Tununiq in north Baffin, asked education minister Paul Quassa “who is the final arbiter” of school closures.

“This winter especially, here in our region, has been abnormally cold and I believe in most of Canada,” Enook said in the assembly Feb. 26. “We hear from the communities that due to the extreme cold weather, schools have had to be closed.”

Quassa replied that Nunavut’s district education authorities decide on school closures “with respect to weather-related factors,” and they announce those closures when “weather is too extreme.”

The minister said there are no territory-wide standards to direct authorities on when to close schools.

“We feel the local DEAs have more expertise of their local conditions that would call for school closures,” he said.

“I have stated in the past that our schools have to be more consistent in applying various guidelines to close schools,” Quassa said, adding that the department of education is reviewing them.

Enook asked for more details but Quassa could offer none at the time.

“I can’t say when the review will be completed exactly, and what we expect,” Quassa said in the assembly Feb. 27.