Before the summer break, obviously, there was a shutdown, and then there was a slow reopening in June. We found, in that case, that many of our Haida or indigenous students did not return at that time as the parents were quite concerned and felt that since they were off that long, they might as well be safe. Many other students from our neighbouring communities did return, but the teachers in the school district did take a position that it would be equal education whether you're doing it online at home or in the classroom to avoid that imbalance.
We have two schools on reserve. One is a community-run band school in Old Massett, and one is in the community of Skidegate reserve which is provincially run. We tried to coordinate the reopening of the schools as we were coming out of an outbreak in early September, so we delayed the opening for an additional two weeks to allow more time for the school and community to prepare.
All of this creates a lot of anxiety and forces communities to be more careful, because of the close-knit nature. There's great opportunity to look at developing more resources and supports, not only online learning but options to bring community teachers into the classroom to teach remotely. An additional option is to explore outdoor education opportunities, and support safe transportation, so that we can get the kids out to learn on the land, and not feel cooped up in that environment.