Students work to make up lost classroom time

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While classes have resumed at Payepot school, it will be a long time before school life returns to normal.

Two groups of protestors left the school on Nov. 10, ending a month-long sit-in that disrupted classes and divided the community.

One group, which originally started the protest, demanded an end to the school's modified learning curriculum, while another group, who took over another area of the same building in early November, demanded an end to the original demonstration and the re-starting of classes.

When the demonstrations ended, teachers and other school officials began to plan for an altered school year, said Trevor Sutter, communications manager for Indian Affairs and Northern Canada's (INAC) Saskatchewan region. Scheduled school closings during Christmas, Easter and other holidays will be shortened so students can complete the school year, he said.

Before the demonstrations, about 180 students attended Payepot school. A bus that can accommodate up to15 students leaves the reserve each day to take students to a school in Regina, said Sutter. "That bus is not running to capacity."

The dispute began over criticisms of the school's modified learning program, which groups students according to their learning capabilities after an assessment. The teaching method targets the learning to the students' capabilities.

The curriculum and teaching methods have been endorsed by Saskatchewan Learning and are being used at other schools, both on and off reserve.

Those opposed to the modified learning program say their children aren't receiving a good education because they are being unfairly placed in lower educational streams.

Meanwhile, a battle continues on the legal front. An application has been made by INAC to extend an injunction against the original protesters to prevent them from staging another demonstration at the school, but a Regina Court of Queen's Bench judge won't rule on the application until early in the new year.

While police were called to the school during the sit-ins to keep the peace, there's been no word if any charges have been laid in the incident. During the sit-ins the school was reportedly vandalized and confidential files were removed from file folders in locked offices.