Back to school planning is an August tradition, but never before has the checklist included deciding whether to send kids to the classroom.
For Oakville families with students in the Halton District School Board (HDSB), that decision will have to be made by August 17.
The board has distributed a survey asking families to commit to either in-person or distance learning for the duration of the first semester, which runs until the end of January.
It has also released its plan outlining exactly what school will look like in September, beyond the broad stroke guidelines recently provided by the provincial government.
On July 30, the province released announced that Ontario elementary students would be given the opportunity to return to the classroom five days a week, in full-size classes.
Those classes will stay together for the duration of the day, and students in Grades 4 to 8 will be required to wear masks.
But families may also opt instead for distance learning. The board says this will see students log in daily and participate in both synchronous (teacher-led instruction in real time) and asynchronous (completed individually using online resources) learning.
Modified models for high school students
High school students at 24 boards, including those in Halton will start the year in a modified model that will only include face-to-face instruction half of the time.
High school students with the public board will cycle through three courses each day, with 180 minutes of in-person learning two or three mornings a week.
Synchronous instruction in two other courses will be held in the afternoons.
Families with students enrolled at Catholic schools are facing the same question, as the board seeks to finalize plans depending on numbers of in-person students.
Both schools are scrambling to modify school procedures and spaces to safely accommodate children while also providing quality educational opportunities.
At a July 23 meeting, staff with the Halton District Catholic School Board outlined what its modified model could look like for secondary students.
The plan would see students focus on one subject at a time, earning one credit each 23 days, and four per semester.
Classes would be divided into two groups of 15, with students attending in-person morning classes three days in a row one week, and two days the following week. Online instruction would be held for all students every afternoon.
Portables at Appleby College
Staff at Appleby College staff are also managing last-minute details, as the private school sees some historic changes to its model.
Twelve portables will soon be delivered to the lawn of the Lakeshore Road school, to provide additional classroom space to allow students to physically distance.
Middle school students will be on campus every day, while high school students will alternate between in-person attendance and participation through teleconference.
The plan also calls for local Appleby College students to stay at home, rather than board on site.
The school is limiting boarding to one student per room and prioritizing more distant students.
Local students are disappointed, admits school principal Innes van Nostrand.
“The degree of anticipation is huge,” he says. “Lots of them are chomping at the bit to get into boarding.”
But should COVID-19 infection rates remain low, he added that the school’s plan offers flexibility.
“There’s a definite possibility that we will be shifting back to a boarding model, but that’s all going to be based on transmission rates,” he said.
While many people are focused on what the first day of school will look like, van Nostrand says the school has a plan that will allow it to shift between modes of operation, depending on pandemic circumstances.
Some of those shifts may come even before the first day of school, as the province faces growing pressure from teachers, education unions and parents who are unhappy with its plan.