SD57 closing the Central Interior Distance Education School
PRINCE GEORGE—On February 11, The School District 57 Board of Education has decided to move forward with closing The Central Interior Distance Education School (CIDES). CIDES is an online learning program that support youth and adult students.
In response to the closure, Superintendent Jameel Aziz says that part of the consideration of closing CIDES is because of the inability to deliver programming to students outside of SD57, making enrollment insufficient.
“Students are taking approximately a thousand courses across SD57, but only about 50 per cent of the courses are with CIDES. 50 per cent of those courses are actually with other distance learning schools across the province because they offer greater variety. “For us, ultimately, it’s a resource allocation piece. We have shortages of staff within our district. And so, to continue to run a program that only serves our students and our students aren’t necessarily uptaking the program to the degree that we would like. It doesn’t really make sense for us to continue.”
CIDES will be closing effective June 30, 2025 with registration ending on March 31, 2025. Students that are registered will have until January 31, 2026 to complete their courses.
