A pair of schools in Sherwood Park, Alta., will be moving to online learning.
Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) is moving students at FR Hawthorne Junior High and Sherwood Heights Junior High to online learning for one week starting Monday.
READ MORE: Students in northern Alberta town ready to return to school after quarantining
In a letter to EIPS families, the school division said due to the number active COVID-19 cases and related isolation requirements at both schools, there is not enough teachers available to deliver in-school learning.
The school division said Alberta Education had approve the move.
“EIPS will continue to monitor school situations and make operational decisions on a case-by-case basis,” the letter read.
Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) is one of Alberta’s largest school divisions, serving approximately 17,000 students in 43 schools.
READ MORE: Fort McMurray grades 7-12 students moving to online learning
Over the weekend, Fort McMurray’s Catholic and public school divisions also announced they had received approval to move students in grades 7-12 from both school divisions to online learning from April 19 to April 30.
The decision was also made due to an increasing rise in COVID-19 cases and the number of staff and students in isolation.
READ MORE: Calgary junior, high schools move to online learning amid rising COVID-19 cases
Last week, Alberta Health Services announced that students grades 7-12 in both Calgary Board of Education and Calgary Catholic School District schools would also move online starting on Monday.
The government said school boards can request that schools be moved to online learning based on four primary criteria:
- a chronic substitute teacher shortage
- a significant number of students and staff in quarantine or isolation
- recent requests from the board for short-term shifts for schools
- substantial COVID-19 cases in the community
Alberta Health said it has yet to require a school to stop in-person learning due to health reasons.
