BROCKVILLE, Ontario – The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) outlined their plans to continue education during the COVID-19 pandemic during the fall.
The UCDSB has developed three separate scenarios for the fall, the first would see a return to normal, the second would be a modified schedule with reduced class sizes, and the final option would be to continue the virtual e-learning process that was implemented this past spring and summer.
In scenario two, students from kindergarten to Grade 8 would attend school three days a week one week, then two days a week the following week.
High school students under scenario two would be at school five days a week but only from 8 a.m. until noon.
Teachers for both elementary and high school students will still be available for virtual consultation under scenario two.
“We know that the adapted model is not the preferred model for working families, and it can lead to confusion that comes with children not having a regular routine, among other things. However, we respect the direction of the Ministry of Education and we understand that we need to be nimble and be able to react to situations should the public health situation change,” said Stephen Sliwa, the UCDSB’s Director of Education.
For scenario three, the UCDSB conducted surveys of parents and students to find improvement to the e-learning process. They have proposed the following changes:
- Microsoft Office (including email, Microsoft Teams) and the provincially supported learning management platform D2L-Brightspace will be the exclusive platforms used by staff as the foundation for communication and digital learning (including synchronous learning commitments) with students;
- A range of training opportunities and self-study resources have been made available to all UCDSB staff and subsequent training opportunities will be available through our “Summer Institute” staff development sessions in August 2020;
- The creation of a Distance Learning Support Team within our TR Leger School of Adult, Alternative and Continuing Education, in collaboration with the UCDSB’s Teaching and Learning Department, as this arm of our school board has been facilitating distance learning for six years;
- The purchase of an additional 1,100 mobile PC devices for student use and the planned procurement of an additional 1,100 in the 2020-2021 operational year; and
- Continuing to explore opportunities to provide UCDSB families without internet services to be part of a pilot project through the Kajeet hotspot solutions.
“It is our hope that all students will be in class for the first day of instruction on Sept. 4, however if we are told otherwise by the Ministry or local health officials that it is not safe to do so, I think the plan we have drafted has put us in a position to still address the learning and mental health needs of our students,” said UCDSB Chair of the Board of Trustees John McAllister.
The UCDSB Trustees voted in favour of recommending Scenario One, which would see students return to the classroom full-time, with increased hygiene measures.
