Alberta to keep schools closed until Jan. 10 due to rapidly spreading Omicron

Alberta will delay the return to school for kindergarten to Grade 12 students until Jan. 10, due to concerns surrounding the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

Alberta will delay the return to school for kindergarten to Grade 12 students until Jan. 10, due to concerns surrounding the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

The holiday break extension will allow staff and school boards to better prepare for a return to classes, Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said. Diploma exams for high school students will be cancelled, as they were to start on Jan. 11.

"School authorities have already told us they need more time to prepare," LaGrange said. "I completely understand these concerns."

The press conference announcing the delay was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, with only 30 minutes notice given.

"I have just stepped out of a meeting with Premier Jason Kenney and my cabinet colleagues to announce an important decision we have just finalized," LaGrange said.

"Today's decision wasn't made lightly," she said, adding that the government wanted to share the news with Albertans as soon as it was decided.

According to LaGrange, with the rapid rise of the Omicron variant, many school board officials are worried about potential staffing pressures, including teachers, bus drivers, maintenance workers, and educational assistants.