School district racing to ready smoke-damaged Jasper schools in time for classes

The public school district for Jasper says it is racing against time to clean up and fix schools damaged by smoke and soot from last month’s wildfires in time for the start of classes.

The Alberta government said this week the town’s two schools would not be ready by September, and that students would be sent to schools in nearby Hinton or Edson in the interim. 

But the Grande Yellowhead Public School Division, which runs the schools, said Tuesday its 447 students in Jasper will only be sent out of town as a last resort.

The schools were spared the flames, but sustained smoke and soot damage.

Division superintendent Carolyn Lewis-Shillington said everything — including windows, floors, desks, walls, bathrooms and air ducts — needs a deep clean. Fire alarms and ceiling tiles also need to be replaced. Fridges and fish tanks need to be removed. Silverware has to get washed.

“We’re trying to get our schools open, but we do need to have a backup plan,” Lewis-Shillington said in an interview.

She said schools in Edson, Hinton and other parts of the province have the resources to accommodate students if needed.

Around 25,000 people — including the 5,000 residents of Jasper — fled the town and its national park three weeks ago as a pair of wildfires encroached on the area. The fire destroyed about one-third of the town’s structures.

On Monday, wildfire officials announced residents could return beginning Friday, but warned that only a few basic services would be available.

During a telephone town hall on Monday night, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told callers it would take a month or perhaps two to get the schools fit for use.

Some parents have pushed back against the plan to send students out of town. They say Jasper students need familiarity after the mental trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous wildfires.

Angela Raine Rechner, a mother of two whose family is staying near Edson, began co-ordinating with other parents on Tuesday to demand the province offer expanded schooling solutions, such as modular — or portable — classrooms.

Raine Rechner said she plans to temporarily home-school her children, ages 4 and 7, because sending them out of town to learn doesn’t seem like the right decision.

“I feel like we’re feeling this pressure to just accept these blanket decisions,” she said, adding that children need familiarity with friends and teachers.

“At the end of the day, the kids matter, too … Some of these kids don’t have their homes to come home to. We need to think about their needs and their well-being.”

Raine Rechner said officials hinted that portable classrooms weren’t an option but didn’t outline why. Lewis-Shillington said she understands they are in short supply in Alberta to begin with. And once they arrive, they take time to set up.

“Our schools will be open before a portable could arrive,” she said.

If students need to be sent out of town, she said buses will take them to Hinton or Edson. Lewis-Shillington also said students would have access to mental health and education supports.

Some teaching staff might even work in Hinton until Jasper schools reopen, she said.

In an emailed statement, Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said the province will work with school authorities to reopen schools as quickly as possible by fast-tracking cleanup and finding accommodations for teachers and support staff.

“In the meantime,” he said, “all Jasper students will have classrooms to go to at (the) start of the school year.”