The superintendent of the Kamloops-Thompson School District says she’s heartened by the local response to the latest crisis impacting students and staff.

Alison Sidow was commenting on the COVID-19 pandemic, and the response when Parkcrest Elementary burned down in the first week of the school year.

“We want to be a part of rebuilding and transitioning families through a very challenging time. We offer really important services to our communities, we want that to continue and we’ll do that to the best of our ability. And we just thank the public for their patience during this time as we put our plan together.”

Parkcrest students were only out of class for a week and half after their school burned down.

“What’s so heartening for me – and the same now as with the Parkcrest fire – is that it is incredible how the community and our staff pulled together during a crisis. We saw that in Parkcrest, we moved mountains in a very, very short period of time.”

Students will have only missed five days of classes when they start distance learning next week.

Many teachers and principals are now working at their respective schools, but the school district says social distancing measures and extensive cleaning are taking place. It says at least one custodian is being staff in each day in every school, and that support staff will be reassigned for cleaning as well.

In a notice sent out to parents and staff on Sunday, Sidow says there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 among any staff or students in the district.

Down the road, the Nicola-Similkameen School District has confirmed one case of COVID-19 among its operational staff. That school district covers Merritt and Princeton and it’s not clear right now which community that case is in.