Schools closed for rest of term

| 23/04/2020 | 55 Comments
Cayman News Service

(CNS): All schools in the Cayman Islands will remain closed until at least the end of this academic year, government officials have confirmed in a letter to the heads of all educational facilities. Ministry of Education Acting Chief Officer Lyneth Monteith wrote to the schools on Wednesday confirming government’s decision not to open schools before the new year school year starts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the last few weeks at the regular daily COVID-19 briefings, Premier Alden McLaughlin has said that he did not think the schools would open before September. He said that once the coronavirus has been adequately contained or even eliminated and the community and economy begins a phased re-opening, schools would still be the last things to open.

He recently pointed out that children are generally the most asymptotic group, carrying and spreading the virus largely without any adverse consequences to themselves. However, they pose a significant risk to teachers and other staff.

Education Minister Juliana O’Connor Connolly had also indicated in her appearance last week at the briefing that schools were not likely to open before the summer vacation.

The letter sent out to schools yesterday states that the closure applies to all education institutions, from early years to colleges, including technical or vocational centres.

The chief officer encouraged school principals to continue with online and distance learning programmes and said that further guidance would be sent to the schools in “due course”.

Monteith said that a decision about the possible re-opening of early learning centres or school camps for younger children in the summer months, as well as summer courses at colleges, would be made before the end of June.

The school closures have presented a significant challenge for some parents and served to stress how poverty and social inequality impacts the youngest members of our community.

See the letter confirming the schools closures in the CNS Library


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Category: Education, Local News

Comments (55)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    The Premier was hopeful the economy can reopen soon. I really hope this decision is reviewed and changed. Remember, schools can open June, July and August. September start date can be revised. Mid-term breaks can be removed.

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  2. Anonymous says:

    Kids are the worse spreaders of any disease!! Keep the schools closed until it’s 100% safe to reopen.

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  3. Anonymous says:

    No online teaching, work just being uploaded and dumped on kids with no support, significant reduction in the property CUC bills, significant reduction in Water Authority costs and still no discount for St Ignatius students. Simply greed of the highest magnitude. Yet we’re left teaching the kids, paying extra CUC bills, paying extra water bills and having larger than average shopping bills due to more people being at home 24/7.

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    • Anonymous says:

      The Catholic Church needs your money. Get over it.

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    • Anonymous says:

      One thing this pandemic has revealed is those parents who just dropped their kids off school and were never active in their learning. Now you have to participate and its woe is me, extra bills blah blah blah. Suck it up buttercup.

  4. Zari says:

    Somethings we can deal with while some, we can’t ,so far the goverment is doing its part to see to it that we are stable and we appreciate that , its hard for everybody so being thankfull for this far makes more sense other than adding more pressure on the already sagging bridge

  5. Anomymous says:

    Why dont all these expats who have nothing good to say about our cayman schools and the children leave go home sick of there snobby attitude all about your dam private schools how great you all are doing why others are struggling sick of it!!!

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  6. Anonymous says:

    Why not wait until we have a significant number of test results back before making this decision. We’ve now been sitting on the tests we were so excited about for two weeks!

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  7. Anonymous says:

    Why would you announce this before wide scale testing even begins and so far in advance??? This has a huge impact on students and families morale, not to mention the work force’s ability to be productive.

    It should be a top priority to get kids back to school as soon as possible. The decision could be to updated every week once we start testing!! Not just give up for 4 months!!! Realistically we are going to be in pretty much the same situation in 4 months time!

    Come on Government ! This is going to take hard work and innovative solutions. Kids can learn to social distance too. Run alternate days to reduce crowding, test kids, more outside time – we have to try something!

    What will you do in October when 3 kids test positive??? Close all schools till 2022?

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  8. Anonymous says:

    I have 2 laptops I’d like to donate but can’t figure out how to erase the info on them permanently. Can somebody at the laptop collecting initiatives help with this please?!

  9. Anonymous says:

    Some kids from difficult background were already finding it hard to keep up. Continuing with this sham of on-line learning will put some kids (no internet; no parents time; have to watch siblings) even further behind their peers. Will they ever be able to catch up?

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  10. Anonymous says:

    Perhaps we can ask the “Task Force” what their take is on the contribution of Bill Gates to Global Health?

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    • Anonymous says:

      They did not think much of his offer to build and manage our schools, so I doubt his healthcare contributions will be of interest.

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  11. Elvis says:

    Good move

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  12. Anonymous says:

    Why announce this now? 9 weeks is a long time and much could change

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    • Anonymous says:

      civil service in control…overstaffed and work shy…..

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    • Anonymous says:

      Because little is likely to change/improve fast enough to make it likely to change the outcome. Especially since Govt has indicated schools will probably be last to reopen to reduce ‘asymptomatic spread’ between households. Announcing now means people can start preparing now for what they will do in the event that parts of the economy reopen but schools do not.

  13. Anonymous says:

    Education has never been a priority for our government. This should come as no surprise.

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    • Anonymous says:

      So should the re-open the schools despite the fact we still have transmissions happening? What is your solution?

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      • Anonymous says:

        So when we have another positive in September or when we open the airport or next year are we going to close the schools again? The virus isn’t going to just disappear.

        • Anonymous says:

          Which is why there is online teaching/learning now….so whenever there is further outbreak education can continue. People are just mad because they are finally required to participate in their kids’ learning and perhaps finally realizing their kids’ behavior sucks.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Physical closure, not academic closure. (Good luck to all of the students working remotely, and their parents/families, and the teachers.)

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yes, all those that have no access to a computer. Running water. Food. Freedom from abusive parents.

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  15. Anonymous says:

    11 more weeks of home learning, parents! And people wonder why liquor stores are deemed an essential service!!! LOL

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  16. Anonymous says:

    if parents have to stay home to look after the kids that should give an indication as to when they’re looking at getting people back to the offices

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    • Anonymous says:

      Oh no, they will send people back to the office before thinking about parents with kids because they think that’s a mothers issue and no one actually considers childcare a job.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Exactly. When schools were closed in March, no consideration was given to parents whose kids would usually be at school. You had to come to work. That is your problem. No the company’s problem.

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      • Anonymous says:

        When you decided to have kids, did you not think about how you were going to raise them? OMG people learn to take care of yourselves!

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  17. Anonymous says:

    I know Cayman doesn’t care about educating children, but this is beyond comprehension.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Your powers of comprehension seem weak. Perhaps don’t comment about things to do with education.

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    • Komart says:

      Our children are getting their schoolwork. The government schools all have online portals and subscribe to many great educational programmes, such as IXL; the Khan Academy amongst others. I have also received the packets and continue to get emails with worksheets attached, which I then print.

      Zoom calls keep the students in touch with the teacher and classmates. I find the system to be working extremely well and rather be safe than sorry. Much prefer this to fighting traffic every day.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Love the fact that you have a computer because not everybody does. While your privilege is showing, I feel bad for those that have no access and also very crappy parents who don’t care. Some of them don’t even get fed unless they go to school. How about them apples?

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      • Anonymous says:

        This is a very short sighted comment ! You might be in an ok place with your home setup but the island and the economy needs the schools working for the majority of people. No school is not an option.

        What’s your plan for October when the virus is still here?? We need to work at returning to normal in innovative ways and then test for the virus to monitor the results.

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  18. Anonymous says:

    One would think 30,000 covid tests have been completed and 30,000 people have the virus. First we kill the economy and now we put our kids at a huge disadvantage. What next, close essential services?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yes, hence the British Military arriving to quash any civil unrest that will come when everyone comes to the conclusion that this “pandemic” is actually an over blown hoax with less deaths than the common flu to enforce draconian controls over the masses.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Was wondering when a John Birch Society member or X22report subscriber would comment on the situation here on island.

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    • Anonymous says:

      If you opened the schools now I’m sure you’d soon get your wish for 30,000 cases.

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  19. Anonymous says:

    Politicians are so disconnected from the populace.
    I do not know how half of them sleep at night?
    They must be self-medicating with copious amounts of alcohol and the odd spaniard on the side with a good beating thrown in for good measure.
    Behold our leaders!

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  20. Anonymous says:

    Will all public school students be getting a full refund?

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    • Anonymous says:

      What fees do they pay?

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      • Question says:

        I’m not sure why? Even the UK is looking at reopening the schools mid May and will run into summer.

        CNS
        Please can you look into this.

        Some private schools, especially for young kids haven’t been providing any school work but they have insisted on us (not just me but a number of other parents) paying the school fee, when I said I wasn’t going to pay (unfortunately on the phone, I have emailed and of course no reply) I got a simple well when the school reopens your child won’t have a place in September, so they expect us to pay for next term.

        So now with government closing the schools, are they going to insist the schools don’t charge?

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