Despite the closure of primary and secondary schools decreed by the government, many students from ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities have not taken time off in Montreal in recent days.
All week long, the children went out by the dozen to take the school bus to the Belz school on avenue Ducharme, in the Outremont district. On Wednesday, children’s voices resounded in the Belz school on avenue Durocher. At the passage of Press at these two places, no one agreed to meet us. Asked about the comings and goings at these schools, Alain Picard, communications manager for the Council of Hasidic Jews of Quebec, said he had “no mandate from the communities on this subject.”
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Students boarding a school bus in front of Belz school on avenue Ducharme, in Outremont
On December 20, the government announced the closure of elementary and secondary schools until January 10, due to the surge in COVID-19 cases. And Thursday, Quebec extended their closure until January 17. Schools opening before this date must offer virtual education. Extracurricular activities have also been canceled.
The only activities maintained are those “relating to the vaccination against COVID-19 and the distribution of self-testing for COVID-19”, indicated Florent Tanlet, spokesperson for the office of the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge. “Exceptional” daycare services are also organized by school boards, he added.
According to the government decree, the suspension of school activities excludes “educational services offered to disabled students or students with adjustment or learning difficulties who attend a special school or a special class”. “Failure to comply with these instructions exposes organizations and individuals to fines for violation of health rules,” said Florent Tanlet.
Due to complaints of non-compliance with sanitary measures, the police went to schools in recent days, said Manuel Couture, spokesperson for the Police Department of the City of Montreal.
The police spoke with school officials and filled out written reports. They submitted them to the morality section which will determine whether or not there has been a violation of sanitary measures.
Manuel Couture, spokesperson for the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal
The number of ultra-Orthodox schools that cater for children remains unknown. Some of its establishments also house childcare services.
Schools open in pandemic
In December 2020, schools in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities had opened their doors, despite the closure decreed by the government. Minister Roberge had qualified the situation as “unacceptable” and underlined the fact that “these establishments do not benefit from an exception”.
The decree was respected since students without technology for distance education could present themselves in person, had then supported Huvy Herzog, general director of schools in the Belz community, in an interview with Press. “If the law changes, we will close, we want to respect the instructions,” she added.
In order to justify the continuation of the courses, Huvy Herzog had invoked the fact that the schools represented by the Council of Hasidic Jews of Quebec did not provide any pedagogical leave between the end of December and the beginning of January. The decree of December 2020 specified that “educational services allowing the pursuit of distance learning will be[aient] offered for the period from December 17, 2020 to January 10, 2021 “according to the school calendar, she argued.
With the collaboration of Mayssa Ferah, Press