Schools in Nunavik closed for rest of academic year

The 2019-2020 school year in Nunavik is over, amid persisting concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kativik school board announced late Tuesday.

Kativik Ilisarniliriniq says it made the decision after the Quebec government announced earlier this week that it will be extending a province-wide school closure until May 1, and that it will be cancelling youth exams.

As well, the Kativik Regional Government announced on Tuesday that it's imposing a ban on non-essential air travel into Nunavik.

The school board says students will not be penalized. Following guidelines from the Ministry of Education, it says, any grades that students earned in the first and second terms will be used to determine graduation or promotion to the next grade level.

The board says in the coming weeks, it will send out suggested learning activities that families can do at home.