School boards release final plans for September as parents have 2 days left to decide

Two days before parents in Windsor-Essex must make a decision on remote or in-class learning, the public and Catholic boards have released updated plans for September.

The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board (WECDSB) released a finalized 32-page plan Wednesday that it hopes will answer "the hundreds of emails and phone calls" it received after its initial report was released on Aug. 5.

Meanwhile, the Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) held a meeting at 4 p.m. to discuss its latest updates.

According to Emelda Byrne, the executive superintendent of education of student achievement for WECDSB, new additions to the board's plan include:

• Staggered entry for elementary students.

• More details on at-home, online learning.

• Details on how to opt in and opt out, along with dates and times.

• Details on their outbreak protocol.

• Bus safety protocols from BusKids, which provides transportation for the region's four school boards.

"There's more information in here, we hope that will help them to make that decision...it's always evolving, things are changing from two weeks ago to where we are today," Byrne said. "We believe that by Friday [parents] should have enough information to make an informed decision."

WECDSB elementary students, including senior kindergarten and those in grades 1 to 8, will begin school incrementally after Labour Day. For kids in junior kindergarten, staggered start dates will begin the week of Sept. 14.

By the week of Sept. 21, all junior kindergarten students will be attending school full-time.

Each individual school will notify parents of the staggered start dates for kindergarten students and those in split grade classes.

As of Tuesday, the board says a little more than half of their 20,000 students have made a decision. Out of 11,000 students that have declared so far, 21 per cent of elementary students and 15 per cent of secondary students opted for online learning.

Byrne said the schools will be reaching out to parents directly if they haven't heard from families by noon on Friday.

Parent appreciates more details

Stay-at-home mom Sheena McKay, whose three kids are part of the WECDSB, said she's still making her way through the entire plan but so far she's satisfied with the details that have been added.

"I really appreciate this document compared to the one that was given to us a week or so ago now, there were a lot of holes filled in," she said, adding that the additional details around the board's outbreak protocol and remote or at-home learning are particularly helpful.

She said she hoped the staggered start times would have been stretched out over a longer period of time but that "anything that slows down the pace of re-entry will [be a] benefit in the long run."

The one topic McKay said she wished were addressed in the plan is the use of community centres to better space out the kids.

So far, most choose in-person learning: public board

The GECDSB has decided on staggered times for both elementary and secondary schools. Classes will be phased in from junior to senior grades, with the exception of kindergarten. Junior and senior kindergarten students will begin class on Sept. 14.

The full schedule for elementary students is:

• Tuesday Sept. 8: Grade 1 and Grade 2 only.

• Wednesday Sept. 9: Grades 1 to 4 only.

• Thursday Sept. 10: Grades 1 to 6 only.

• Friday Sept. 11: Grades 1 to 8 can all attend.

• Monday Sept. 14: Junior and senior kindergarten students begin classes.

Secondary students have been divided into four cohorts: A and B for in-person learning and C and D for remote learning.

The full schedule for highschool students is:

• Tuesday Sept. 8: Grades 9 and 10 in cohort A only.

• Wednesday Sept. 9: Grades 9 and 10 in cohort B only.

• Thursday Sept. 10: Grades 9 to 12 in cohort A only.

• Friday Sept. 11: Grades 9 to 12 in cohort B only.

The public board said more than 17,000 elementary students responded to the survey as of Wednesday. Of these responses, 70 per cent had chosen in-person learning, 21 per cent for remote, online learning and 10 per cent for off-line, printed package learning.

At this time, nearly 8,000 secondary students have also responded to the survey, with 80 per cent planning to return to class and 20 per cent opting for remote, online learning.

More details for remote, online learning were also provided, with the board noting that students should expect 300 minutes of learning a day.

School bus guidelines released

Back to school guidelines by BusKids were also released and included in the boards' plans.

The company, which offers transportation for all four of the region's school boards, said that only 48 students will be allowed per bus. Capacity is typically 72 students.

Drivers and students from Grades 4 to 12 will be required to wear face masks, with those in Grades 3 and below strongly encouraged to wear face coverings.

Students are also being told to keep their hands to themselves at all times on the bus.