Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Rodolphe Samuel.
PHILIPSBURG--The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) says all schools are currently preparing for the return of exam and special education students.
The ministry provided an update regarding schools’ readiness to resume operations on campus in a press release on Thursday.
According to the release, the Ministry of ECYS is working to support the process of the schools preparations by reviewing the submitted school safety plans as well as conducting the facility inspections.
“To date, based on the information received from the Division of Inspection ECYS regarding the schools readiness to receive students on campus, some schools are in full compliance with the above-mentioned requirements and thus are ready to receive students on campus as per October 19. Other schools have minor adjustments to make to complete their readiness,” stated the release.
The Minister of ECYS Rodolphe Samuel said the School Board for Secondary Education SVOBE has informed the ministry that its schools are in the process of finalizing preparations to receive students back on campus, however, needed additional time to finalize. The school board indicated that once all preparations are finalized, the intention is to receive students back on school campuses as per October 26, 2020.
Samuel said all schools will be informing parents and students regarding the restart date via their various student-tracking systems and online platforms during the course of the upcoming days.
“The Ministry of ECYS would like to remind the general public that prior to the reopening of school campuses, it is of utmost importance that all safety plans and facility inspections are approved. This requirement is in place in an effort to safeguard the health and safety of students, teachers and staff. As we work together to keep our community safe, we appreciate your understanding and cooperation,” the minister said.
On Tuesday, October 6, the Ministry of ECYS provided advice to all Public, Subsidized and Private Schools regarding the manner in which students should return to school campuses. The letter highlighted the fact that due to the current number of COVID-19 cases in St. Maarten and due to the fact that St. Maarten is still experiencing community transmission, schools were advised to allow their exam and special education students to return as per Monday, October 19.
