ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ

Department of Education
Ilinniaqtuliqiyikkut
Ministère de l’Éducation

July 3, 2020

Reopening Plan for Nunavut Schools:

Health and Safety Considerations

The Department of Education, in collaboration with the office of the Chief Public Health
Officer, has developed a reopening plan for schools in Nunavut, with a focus on health
and safety. The reopening plan identifies four stages, with direction on how schools will
operate depending on the impacts of COVID-19 in each community.

It is important to remember that these stages were developed for the purposes of school
reopening only, and do not affect any other orders or direction from the Chief Public
Health Officer. In the case of an inconsistency or contradiction between what is
identified in these stages and what is stated by the Chief Public Health Officer, the
statements of the Chief Public Health Officer will always take precedence.

COVID-19 Stages of Impact on School Operations

The school reopening plan consists of 4 stages, each of which represents a different
level of COVID-19 exposure within a community, and the conditions under which the
school will operate in each stage.
As of June 30, 2020, there are no cases of COVID-19 in the territory. All communities in
Nunavut are at Stage 1.

Stage 1: No COVID-19 in the Region (GREEN)

• If a community is in Stage 1, there has been no COVID-19 exposure in their
community or region, and contact tracing has not identified any positive or
presumptive cases in the community or region.
o Contact tracing is the process of identifying and managing individuals
who may have been exposed to COVID-19. If there is no one in the
community or region who may have been exposed to someone with
COVID-19 in another community, then the community will remain at
Stage 1.

PO Box 1000, Stn. 960 C. P. 1000 (867-975-5600
Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A 0H0 Iqaluit, Nunavut X0A 0H0 6867-975-5610
Stage 2: Escalated Risk of COVID-19 Transmission in the Region (YELLOW)
• If a community is in Stage 2, it means they have no current cases of
COVID-19. However, that community is at an escalated risk because one or
more individuals have been identified through contact tracing as having
potential exposure to COVID-19.
o If one or more people in the community were exposed to someone
with COVID-19 in another community, then the community will be at
Stage 2.
o If there is contact tracing in the region, but not in the community, the
CPHO will determine, based on geographic factors and commonly-
used, land-based intercommunity travel, whether or not a community
will move to Stage 2.
• After a certain period of time in Stage 2, if no COVID-19 cases have been
identified, a community will return to Stage 1. The timing of this transition is at
the discretion of the Chief Public Health Officer.

Stage 3: Isolated COVID-19 in the Community (ORANGE)

• A community in Stage 3 is recovering from one or more cases of COVID-19.
This stage will occur approximately 10-28 days after the last identified case of
COVID-19 moves into recovery.
• A community will move from Stage 4 to Stage 3 only when the Chief Public
Health Officer deems it appropriate.
• Stage 3 has enhanced health and safety precautions in place, but they are not as
strict as in Stage 4, when COVID-19 is present and active in a community.

Stage 4 – Community Transmission of COVID-19 (RED)

• If one or more cases of COVID-19 have been identified in a community, the
community will be at Stage 4.
• At Stage 4 there are very strict health and safety measures in place, and schools
will be closed to students and staff.
• The time period for Stage 4 will be dependent on a number of variables, including
contact tracing and related data collection. A community will move from Stage 4
to Stage 3 (post COVID-19) at the discretion of the Chief Public Health Officer.

NOTE: A community that has been exposed to a case of COVID-19 will eventually
return to Stage 1: No COVID-19 in the Region once sufficient containment and all
positive cases have moved into controlled recovery. This transition will be at the
discretion of the Chief Public Health Officer.
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Conditions Under COVID-19 Stages of Impact
• The Reopening Plan for Nunavut Schools: Health and Safety
Considerations table outlines the conditions under which schools will operate,
depending on the stage they are in.
• Health and safety restrictions increase as the stages increase. This means
Stage 4 (Community Transmission of COVID-19) has the strictest conditions, and
Stage 1 (No COVID-19 in the Region) has the least strict conditions.
• The category of conditions as outlined in the table are as follows:
o Health and safety concerns
§ This section outlines actions a school will take in each stage. The list of
actions at each stage is not comprehensive, but is intended to identify
the type of restrictions that will be put in place.
§ Comprehensive health and safety guidelines will be provided to all
school staff with details on how and when to implement restrictions.
o School staff
§ This section outlines the role of school staff at each stage, including
when they must report to school, and when check-ins should be done
with students.
o Density
§ This section identifies the approximate density of occupancy in the
school at each stage. When there is a heightened risk of COVID-19,
schools will stagger schedules and adjust student occupancy to limit
physical contact.
§ For younger children, maintaining physical distance is less practical,
and adjusting the density of the school will help support limited contact
between students.
o In-class instruction
§ This section corresponds to the density section, and identifies the level
of in-class instruction for students at each stage.
§ Limiting the in-class instruction will allow schools to modify room
configurations to promote physical distancing.
o Blended or remote instruction
§ Even if students are not attending school on a regular schedule,
instruction will still take place remotely, or through a mix of blended and
remote learning.

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 § School staff will be provided with guidelines and samples on how to
provide instruction and continue learning outside of the classroom.
o What does learning look like?
§ If class time is limited, learning and instruction will take different forms.
This section outlines possible alternate teaching methods that will be
implemented at various stages.

Further Direction to Schools on Health and Safety

All schools will be provided with comprehensive health and safety guidelines.
Guidelines will include, but not be limited to:
o Checklists and information on enhanced cleaning protocols
o Information on implementation of school food programs at each stage
o What schools can expect in terms of cleaning supplies/budgets
o Information on signage in schools
o Sample schedules for each stage, including classroom set-up
o Guidelines for bussing at each stage
o Guidelines for student drop-off and pick-up at each stage
o Information on what is permitted at each stage regarding assemblies and
extracurricular activities
§ Use of gyms, libraries, common areas, etc.
o Guidelines on what land-based instruction may look like at each stage

Further Direction to Schools on Instruction

To ensure that learning and instruction continues no matter what stage a community is
in, school staff will receive detailed guidelines on assessment of learning loss, learning
recovery, and techniques for teaching in a blended in-school/at home environment.
• Information provided to school staff will include, but will not be limited to:
o Lists of essential curricular outcomes to focus on during learning recovery,
broken down by subject area and grade
o Samples of assessment tools to identify needs and learning loss
o Sample remote teaching methods, including use of materials, and
schedules for connecting with students
o Expectations for evaluation and assessment in a blended learning
environment
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 o Information on meeting learning outcomes through land-based instruction
o Tools to support student mental health during the COVID-19 crisis
o Clear guidelines on how and when students and families should be
contacted when class time is limited

Next Steps

As long as there continue to be no cases of COVID-19 in the territory, all schools

will open as scheduled, under Stage 1, for the 2020-21 school year.

This document is for public information purposes only, and all the information contained
in this document may be subject to change at the discretion of the Chief Public Health
Officer.

Further information will be made available to the public as it is becomes available.