A First Nations high school in Garden Hill, a remote village in northeastern Manitoba, has been closed for several weeks due to the spread of mold, officials said, and it's unclear when it will be able to reopen.
"We need to fix this as soon as possible," Garden Hill CEO Charles Knott said at a press conference on Wednesday.
According to Knott, at least one student had mold, which is spreading throughout the building along with rust attacking the main beams.
“They say he will be all right when he gets home,” he said. "When he's in the building, he has trouble breathing."
The secondary school, which has been closed since October 9, has about 500 students from grades 6 to 12.
On Wednesday, Knott spoke to reporters at a press conference in Winnipeg, where he and other Indigenous leaders in the Island Lakes region called on provincial and federal governments to ensure equal access to health care and services as mental health and addiction problems rise. communities
Knott said that Garden Hill lacks other suitable high school facilities and there is currently no distance learning in the community due to lack of internet access.
“They are working on it,” he said.
Knott said one of the plans is to make laptops available to the community, but Garden Hill's internet access, which is often slow for those with it, is likely a major hurdle.
© Jillian Taylor/CBC Garden Hill The Indian High School shown in this 2020 photo has about 500 students. They have been unable to attend school for several weeks due to mold growth in the building, the director of Garden Hill said Wednesday.Garden Hill also has an elementary school with 700 students through fifth grade. However, according to Knott, there would not be enough room for two students.
"The community is growing. [There are] a lot of kids going to school," he said. "[But] we don't have buildings where they can temporarily house these high school students."
Knott also said he was disappointed by the government's lack of response to the question.
“The government should have known about these things. Our school is unhealthy,” the principal said.
Knott said he and community members have reached out to the Regional Director General of Canada's Indigenous Services for help with the school.
“We need to get our students back to school,” Knott said.
An Indian Services spokesperson confirmed that the department has contacted Garden Hill and is considering next steps.
Department officials are working with the public to find out the cause of the mold and ensure more students and staff don't become infected, the spokesman said.
There will be a meeting between federal ministry officials and community leaders to determine the next steps to enable students to study remotely, an Indian Services spokesperson said.
The school closure is another setback for Indigenous students at Garden Hill following the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and distance learning.
In May 2021, educators made the decision to send students back for the 2020-21 school year because the curriculum was not well covered this year.
"[Students] have been skipping school for the past three or two years," Knott told conference attendees. “When the pandemic hit, the kids were out of school, and now this.”
At the Anishinyu Archipelago Regional Conference, Okimawin Knott said that the community is also addressing other issues related to youth in the community.
“Our youth need help in our communities… They are suffering. There is a lot of drugs and alcohol in our communities,” he said.
“A few years ago, this was not the case.
