Algoma District School Board (ADSB) administrators and trustees gathered for a special board meeting Tuesday evening, held via teleconference, to pass two motions and discuss the changing-on-a-daily-basis nature of COVID-19 and how that will affect instruction for students with the start of the 2020-2021 school year.
School boards are currently developing plans for delivery of student instruction based on three possible models for children and teens in September.
One involves a conventional return to classes with enhanced cleaning measures and protocols in place, an adaptive model or an enhanced online learning model, the enhanced online model being a beefed-up version of what students used for learning between March and June of this year.
“There are lots of questions and parameters still being sought around the adaptive model,” said Lucia Reece, ADSB director of education, addressing the board Tuesday.
Those questions, Reece said, revolve around whether students will be going back to school in lesser numbers (15 students to a classroom, as has been suggested by the province), in cohorts, on alternate days or weeks, on shortened school days and other possibilities.
“All of those things are being explored, while at the same time, our provincial health officials are looking into the aspects and possibilities of masks and protective equipment and what role all of that might play in reopening,” Reece said.
“I know everyone’s wondering what September will look like but I think everyone recognizes that health parameters have to take priority, so we will be watching in the next couple of weeks, now that our province has moved into Phase 3, what the numbers do.”
It is expected the Ministry of Education will decide August 4 on which model the ADSB and other Sault and Algoma region boards, and those across Ontario, will use for delivering instruction to students in September.
“We are in constant conversation with the Ministry. We get new information each day, which continues to shape thinking. Everybody’s monitoring,” Reece said, stating the board will be reaching out to parents with information on each of the three possible scenarios, noting the Minister of Education has said some parents may choose not to send their children back to the classroom for conventional education in September due to COVID-19 fears.
“Stay tuned. We will be likely having a meeting in August to review and approve the plan moving forward for September,” said Jennifer Sarlo, ADSB chair.
Meanwhile, the board approved a change in date regarding the start of the 2020-2021 school year, regardless of what form it may take.
Teachers will return to work Tuesday, Sept. 1, students will begin their academic year Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Reece told SooToday “they were (originally) coming back for two days prior to Labour Day due to the way the calendar fell.”
In addition, the board approved designating its Missanabie property as surplus property.
The property was home to Missarenda Consolidated Public School.
“We were advised in late June that the students there would be moving/attending a different school. We have had two students there the last several years (it used to be a school authority) and one was to remain for September, but that changed,” Reece informed us.
Joe Santa Maria, ADSB superintendent of business, said a 90-day period for not-for-profit organizations (other school boards, municipalities or other groups) to express their interest in the property now takes place (in keeping with provincial regulations).
After 90 days, the private sector can express interest in the property.
