PHILIPSBURG:— Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports (ECYS) Rodolphe Samuel announced on Wednesday that schools on St. Maarten will remain open for face-to-face teaching even though a number of teachers and students have tested positive with the coronavirus.
Samuel said since the opening of school on August 9th, 2021, 17 students and 12 teachers from Primary Schools on St. Maarten tested positive with the virus and have all been placed in quarantine.
The Minister said 18 students and 4 teachers from Secondary Schools also tested positive. Samuel said that the schools and the Education Ministry have been working closely with the Health Care Ministry and CPS and have decided that government cannot close down all schools at this time. He said it does not make sense to close schools in the Simpson Bay area if teachers and students attending schools in the St. Peters area are infected. He made clear that St. Maarten has just over 7000 students attending school on St. Maarten and this is the time that all parents and guardians get their hands on deck to help minimize the spread of the virus.
SMN News have learned that the entire management team of the John A Gumbs Campus of the MAC school has been infected and has since been quarantined.
