Fort McMurray parents displaced by fire encouraged to enrol children in local schools

The provincial education minister is encouraging Fort McMurray fire evacuees with children to enrol them in schools in their temporary communities.

The wildfires have displaced more than 12,000 students, said Education minister David Eggen on Monday.

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"They might have been displaced and they're not sure about their house and everything's upside down, but if you can get back to school it really helps the kids to settle down," he said.

"I think it helps the parents to settle down too, and look for a sense of hope."

The Calgary Board of Education says so far 64 students from Fort McMurray have registered at schools across the city.

Jeannie Everett, the board's superintendent of learning, says psychologists are on hand and teachers are ready to help students who might be struggling after the upheaval of the past week.

"Certainly, there's that high distractibility. Kids, their minds just aren't on maybe, the academic task at hand," she said.

Provincial achievement tests for Fort McMurray students in Grade 6 and Grade 9 have been cancelled.

Grade 12 students can choose to not write their diploma exams, in which case their course marks will be used instead.

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