THUNDER BAY - What the school year will look like in September will be determined by individual school boards, which will have three models to choose from based on new provincial guidelines.
The provincial government released its plans for reopening schools in September during its daily media briefing on Friday and its plan for schools will also be using a regional approach.
“It must be done safely and it must be done under the right conditions,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Over the past few weeks we’ve started to reopen Ontario’s economy. We took a regional approach that matches the reality on the ground.”
“The same should apply to local school boards. We simply can’t provide a blanket solution across the province. We need to empower the school boards based on the local needs, the local challenges, and the local priorities.”
The guidelines will include three models for local school boards to work with, which include an in-class model, a learning at home model, or a hybrid of the two.
The in-class model will require enhanced public health protocols and that class sizes not exceed 15 students. School boards are also encouraged to adopt strategies that will keep students in contact with the same classmates and teacher throughout most of the day.
A hybrid model of both in-class and at-home learning could include students alternating between the two on a week-by-week basis.
Minister of Education Stephen Lecce said returning to the classroom is important for not only a student’s learning, but also the mental health of youth.
“We know kids need to be in class,” he said. “We have heard this loud and clear from the Hospital of Sick Children and other health experts.”
“We know the value of community connection. Many students haven't seen their classmates since March. We know our schools do much more than educate our young minds, they foster a sense of community.”
Public schools across the province were closed on March 14 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in-class learning was suspended for the remainder of the academic year.
School boards are required to submit their models for September by Aug. 4. The province, along with leading doctors and experts, will review the plans of each school board, and the effectiveness of the models will be evaluated once the school year begins.
"We will use this model and after September we will evaluate the effectiveness,” Lecce said.
Lecce added that if the models are successful and there is no spread of COVID-19, more schools will be able to move toward traditional learning models.
But which ever model each individual school board chooses to adopt, it will be entirely up to the parents to decide if their children return to the classroom.
“What we have heard loud and clear from parents is that you want to be in the driver seat and have a say,” Lecce said. “Parents can make that decision and we will respect that choice.”
“If you don’t feel comfortable, if you are worried about your child returning to school, we will keep at home learning available,” Ford added.
The release of the guidelines for reopening schools follows an earlier announcement on Friday of an investment of $736 million for public education, which will see Ontario’s average per-pupil funding amount increasing by $250 to a total of $12,525.
