Lakehead school board cancels Kickstart program due to COVID-19

THUNDER BAY — The Lakehead District School Board has put the brakes on a popular program for the upcoming school year because of COVID-19.

The Kickstart after-school program helps Grade 8 students prepare for high school learning while earning a Grade 9 class credit.

About 160 students were scheduled to participate at three secondary schools this fall.

Superintendent of Education Michelle Probizanski says that under the province's back-to-school protocol, elementary students are restricted to a cohort of 50.

If they attended Kickstart, she said, "There would be a variety of different Grade 8s from different schools coming together," which would create another cohort and push the numbers too high.

Probizanski said the decision was not made easily.

"There was a reason why we delayed making the decision, hoping we could find a way to make it work," she said, adding that many of the Kickstart courses are technology-based, which are too difficult to offer virtually.

The cancellation of the program has disappointed a number of families who have posted comments on the school board's Facebook page.

One parent said "Our oldest picked his career path through Kickstart! He sold his younger brother on the idea who was so excited to go this fall with his three best friends. It’s an amazing stepping stone...especially for a homeschooler coming in to public education."

Sherry Rickard's granddaughter was supposed to participate at Westgate CVI, where technology labs are used for Kickstart.

The family felt it would help launch the 13-year-old toward her goal of a career in robotics engineering. 

In an interview Tuesday, Rickard said "We're just really disappointed, because we've taught the kids how to be safe with their masks and handwashing. And we're just thinking it wasn't fair to cancel it without giving them a chance."  

She said she feels Thunder Bay is relatively safe with regard to COVID-19, so the board should have made a greater effort to accommodate the program.

Probizanski, however, said the decision was necessary for the health and safety of students, and was made with their best interests in mind.