CORNWALL, Ontario – The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) released their plan to get students back in class safely on Sept. 4.
The plan is to as much as possible limit contact between students to help stop any potential spread of COVID-19.
Elementary students up to Grade 8 will be cohorted into classrooms with the rest of their grade. Students will remain in the same classroom throughout the day to limit the amount of direct and indirect contact with other Grades.
Secondary school students will have quadmesters this year instead of semesters. This means that instead of four classes being taught in one half of the year, and then another four in the second have, the school year will be split into four parts with two classes per quadmester.
Each quadmester will be nine weeks and each class will be 150 minutes.
Additionally, across all schools, all water fountains will be closed and only water bottle refilling stations will be permitted for use.
Lockers will also be off limits with students and staff being asked to only bring the absolute necessities with them to school including a backpack, water bottle, sunscreen, lunch and a change of clothes in the case of kindergarten.
The specifics for recess, arrival/ dismissal from school, lunch, are all being left up to each individual school to figure out on their own.
As for busing, the UCDSB plan is light on specifics when it comes to making busing safe for students.
“Active forms of transportation are encouraged where possible (e.g., walking or biking),” the UCDSB plan reads. “School bus transportation continues to be available for eligible students. Specific Health and Safety measures will be in place on the school bus. The student transportation consortium, STEO, is providing parents with the option of opting out of student transportation.”
The full plan can be found on the UCDSB website.
