Quebec school closure due to asbestos means hard work for students [Video]

Families of students at Horizon Jeunesse High School in Laval spent Tuesday morning picking up laptops for online learning after asbestos plagued their plans for a traditional return to the classroom.

Poonam Shankar says her teens, Serena and Akash, are feeling left behind.

“Some of their friends started at other schools already, so they are panicking,” she said.

While many students will be logging in solely from home, some will attend classes in person for half days at the nearby Mike Bossy Arena as well at another school in the area. 

Shankar says she already took one week off work to manage the back-to-school season, and now, she has requested more time off. 

“It’s from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the other half is at home, so it’s a bit hectic,” she said.

Cleaning and decontamination are still underway at Horizon Jeunesse after test results confirmed this weekend that …