By Alison Taylor
By late October parents in the Sea to Sky corridor will know if
local schools will be closed during the 2010 Winter Games or not.
More than 600 questionnaires were submitted to the Howe Sound
School District by early June.
School Trustee André Janyk, chair of the district’s 2010
committee, said the questionnaires would be analyzed this month, as one piece
of the information the board will use to make its decision. It is also gathering
information from administrative staff, teachers, principals, vice principals
and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) workers.
“The board of the school trustees will meet in August to review
the results and to consider the options which are most consistent with the
expressed wishes of all concerned, the parent survey being one source of
information,” she said.
“The options being considered will be reported to all parents
and other stakeholders in September, with opportunities for further feedback before
the board makes its final decision in late October.”
The survey asked parents to choose from three options:
• close schools from Feb. 12
th
to 28
th
• close schools from Feb. 5
th
to 28
th
, or
• keep schools open for classes throughout the Games.
Discussions are ongoing with both the Vancouver Organizing
Committee for the Games (VANOC) and the B.C. Ministry of Education about what
opportunities there are for students to participate in the Olympic and
Paralympic experience.
The ministry has stated that spring break will fall between March 8 and 12 in 2010 so that students are not out during the Olympics or the Paralympics.