Saskatchewan

Prairie Valley division pauses extracurricular activities, mandates masks for all students

Masks will be mandatory for all students and extracurricular activities are paused until the new year at schools in the Prairie Valley division.

Extracurricular activities in southeast Saskatchewan division on hold until Jan. 4

A bunch of markers stacked in a cup in an empty classroom.
The Prairie Valley School Division will require all students, including those in pre-kindergarten to Grade 3, to wear masks. (Jane Robertson/CBC)

The Prairie Valley Board of Education is putting extracurricular activities on hold, and requiring the use of masks for all students, in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. 

The board oversees the Prairie Valley School Division, which serves almost 8,500 students in 39 schools throughout southeast Saskatchewan.

Extracurricular activities will be paused in Prairie Valley schools until Jan. 4, 2021.

A news release from the board said the move comes in accordance with the provincial restrictions on private gatherings and physical distancing guidelines for fitness facilities. 

Masks will also be mandatory for all students, including students in pre-kindergarten to Grade 3. The province announced on Nov. 17 that masks would be required in indoor places, but their use in schools for students below Grade 4 is left to the discretion of school divisions.

"Administration acknowledges these changes may be challenging for some," the Prairie Valley release said.

"We must all do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19 so our students can continue learning in our schools."