Edmonton Catholic Schools year-round schooling cancelled next year due to COVID-19

EDMONTON -- Edmonton Catholic Schools has cancelled its year-round schooling calendar for the 2020-21 academic term due to COVID-19 health concerns.

A letter to parents from Superintendent Robert Martin announcing the cancellation notes "our educational world has changed drastically" due to the pandemic.

"Please know that we have not made this decision lightly; we understand that it changes the way that you will plan your lives in the upcoming school year," the letter reads.

Those enrolled in the year-round program will instead follow the same calendar as other Catholic schools. 

Students will have the same number of days of instruction as usual, according to Martin's letter.

Three ECS schools offered year-round schooling which involved four terms broken up by vacation breaks. 

Classrooms have been empty since mid-March over coronavirus concerns. 

It's not yet clear if students will return for the traditional early September start of the school year.