The Chair of the School District 73 Board says it is fully expecting to have its international student program go ahead in the fall.

Kathleen Karpuk says students that are coming in internationally are exempt from the travel ban. “They will still be required to isolate for 14 days once they arrive. So they’re going to have to have some extra lead time for when they’re arriving. So they’re going to, like I said, have that 14 day self isolation.”

The board welcomed 268 total students. They made up 205.8 full time equivalent students in 2019-2020. They attended 11 different schools in the district and the program brought in $463,975.64 in revenue for the district.

“We already have 134 students who have applied for the program to date. So we are feeling that this will go ahead and that we will again be working to make sure that the health and safety of everyone involved is top of mind.”

Karpuk says it is an important program not just for the students coming here, but for local students as well. “Having the international students in our schools is an excellent opportunity for all our kids….. they get to understand other cultures, they get to experience the world through a different set of eyes, they’re able to broaden some connections and broaden they’r understanding of the world and it’s just a very enriching situation for all involved.”