PARKCREST FIRE – School district aims to get kids back in class by Sept. 16

An exact plan for returning Parkcrest elementary students to class isn’t ready yet but families will find out soon, says the Kamloops-Thompson School District.

“The goal is to get everyone back to a school environment by Monday, Sept. 16,” SD73 superintendent Alison Sidow said during a media briefing Friday (Sept. 6, 2019).

“We are developing short-term, mid-term and long-term plans, using four guiding principles.”

Sidow said the principles focus on doing whatever they can to make sure students in the same family are kept together, keeping the Parkcrest-Brocklehurst community intact, keeping disruption to a minimum for the youngest learners, and finding a solution that has the least impact on the school system as a whole.

In the meantime, she is asking families to make sure they have alternate arrangements for the supervision of children during the week of Sept. 9 to Sept. 13.

“Given the vulnerability of our students and families during this challenging time, speculation about what may or may not happen is not helpful. Once our plans are in place, we look forward to sharing them.”

In a message to parents and guardians, Sidow asked for continued awareness that children may experience varied reactions to this event, including trouble sleeping, concentrating or listening. She reminded them there is counselling available for their children, and asked them to contact parkcrest-office@sd73.bc.ca for more information.