Parents and students in some Montreal neighbourhoods will need to check their school schedules next week to see if classes are on. The UCI Road World Championships begin Sunday, and road closures in Verdun, Outremont and Nuns’ Island will affect school calendars, with some swapping professional development days or adjusting lesson plans because of road closures and traffic disruptions. The Marguerite-Bourgeoys School Service Centre (CSSMB) said institutions in Verdun, Outremont and Nuns’ Island will be affected by street closures, including the Bonaventure Expressway (A-10), Parc Street and Côte-Sainte-Catherine Street. “Given the schedule of planned cycling events, the extent of the disruptions, the need to ensure the safety of students and staff, and the smooth operation of the schools, adjustments to the school calendar are necessary for these schools,” said CSSMB spokesperson Mélanie Simard. “These adjustments will allow us to maintain the 180 school days specified in the school calendar.” Verdun and Outremont PED days As a result, Verdun CSSMB schools will have a professional development (PED) day on Monday instead of Friday. On Tuesday, those schools will have a second PED day, and a future one will be removed. This will not apply to École des Coquelicots, which will have classes as normal from Sept. 22 to 25. On Sept. 24, Outremont schools will have a PED day, and a later development day will be removed. Friday will remain a professional development day in Outremont. Alternate learning The Saint-Nom-de-Marie private girls’ school, on Côte-Sainte-Catherine Road and Vincent-d’Indy Avenue (both closed for the event), will continue classes “in the form of learning days with worksheets” rather than in-person classes from Sept. 23 to 25. There will not be virtual classes, and the school will not be closed, but students will complete activities and teachers will be available. “The school recognizes the exceptional nature of this event and is adapting to the situation,” said Malisaï Levesque-Vanny. “This decision was made to ensure the safety of students and staff while allowing educational services to continue.” Plan accordingly The Montreal School Services Centre (CCSDM) does not anticipate school closures during the event, spokesperson Alain Perron said. “However, we are aware that there will be transportation delays,” he added. “Since April, we have been working with the City of Montreal to identify schools located near cycling routes as well as anticipated traffic constraints. Among the planned mitigation measures, our school transportation providers (vans and buses) will be able to use the reserved lanes on Sherbrooke Street from Sept. 19 to 27.” Perron said that most students walk to school, and many schools in the area are close to metro stations, which will remain in operation. The service centre sent a message to parents reminding them to plan commutes ahead of time. “That said, we remain concerned about the impacts that road closures and traffic restrictions could have on travel,” said Perron. “We anticipate significant delays in certain areas and are particularly concerned about how long some school bus trips might take. In this regard, we expect these days to be comparable to storm days, when traffic conditions make it impossible to know the exact travel time and require a high degree of flexibility.” The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) did not respond to a CTV News question about school closures.
