After an unusual week that included three snow days, two school divisions have cancelled exams this semester.

But it wasn’t the snow days that impacted the decision for high schools in the Hanover School Division.

In a statement to Steinbach Online, Hanover School Superintendent Shelley Amos writes, “After careful consideration regarding the impacts of Covid-19 and absenteeism, as well as consultation with schools across the province, the four Senior Years schools in HSD made the decision to cancel final exams for our grades 9-12 students for semester 1. Students can expect in class final assessments and/or culmination projects during the next two weeks. Each school has previously communicated to their respective communities earlier in January."

The statement goes on to say, “Despite the school closures this week, schools will proceed with the timeline as was communicated, and have built into their schedules opportunities to recover credits and complete work for credit attainment where required. Teachers have a good understanding of their students' learning and will ensure robust assessment is still completed, even though it's not a typical end of semester exam.

We thank parents and students for their continued support as we continue to evaluate the impact on our students and system and navigate through this pandemic.”

Earlier this month, the Seine River School Division decided it would cancel exams for the end of this semester.