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Director of Education Letter - Ministry Guidelines on Returning to School in September

Friday, June 19, 2020
Categories: Happenings @ TDSB

*Please scroll to the end of the page to access letter translations.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Today, the Premier and Education Minister announced the Government of Ontario’s guidelines for the return to school in September. School boards across Ontario are being asked to prepare for three possible scenarios that will depend on the public health situation at the time:

  • Normal school day routine with enhanced public health protocols: Students going to school every day, in classes that reflect standard class size regulations.

  • Modified school day routine: Based on public health advice, an adapted delivery model has been designed to allow for physical distancing and cohorts of students. Under this model, school boards are asked to maintain a limit of 15 students in a typical classroom at one time and adopt timetabling that would allow for students to remain in contact only with their classmates and a single teacher for as much of the school day as possible. This model would require alternate day or alternate week delivery to a segment of the class at one time.

  • At home learning: Should the school closure be extended, or some parents choose not to send their child back to school, school boards need to be prepared to offer remote education. Remote education should be delivered online to the greatest extent possible, including the establishment of minimum expectations for students to have direct contact with their teacher at the same time on a regular basis, also known as synchronous learning. Synchronous learning can be used as part of whole class instruction, in smaller groups of students, and/or in a one-on-one context.

TDSB has been exploring and planning for all of these possibilities over the past several weeks and will now work towards finalizing plans, based on today’s announcement. To further assist and inform our plans, the TDSB is asking parents/guardians, staff and students to share their thoughts about planning for September by completing online surveys. This important feedback will help guide the TDSB’s work as we determine plans for September. Please access the Parent/Guardian Survey here and the Grade 7 to 12 Student Survey here.

School boards have been asked to submit their plans to the Ministry of Education by August 4, 2020 and the TDSB is committed to sharing plans with school communities once they’re approved, prior to the start of school. We want to ensure that all students and families are well prepared and know what to expect when returning to school in September.

As always, we will continue to update you when additional information becomes available.

Sincerely,

John Malloy Signature

John Malloy
Director of Education

 

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