The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) says it will use the summer months to test “an array of public health measures” to make sure staff and students are safe this upcoming school year.
Publicly funded schools in Ontario have been closed since mid-March due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, the Ministry of Education outlined three scenarios for the upcoming school year: a full return to class, continued remote learning, or a mix of online learning and “in-class instruction on alternate days allowing maximum groups of 15 students.”
Education Minister Stephen Lecce says the hybrid model is the most likely option.
Locally, the TVDSB will use two of its largest schools, Saunders Secondary School and Eagle Heights Public School, to test physical-distancing measures like protective barriers, directional signs and floor markers, classroom configurations and the use of alternative spaces like gyms for learning, as well as enhanced cleaning procedures.
The board is also working with local child-care operators who were able to open this month to learn from their experiences.
Plans must be approved locally by the Middlesex-London Health Unit and then submitted to the Ministry of Education for final approval.
“We will be working closely with public health officials and using these test schools to develop our plans to submit to the ministry,” said education director Mark Fisher.
“We will also be taking photos and videos to share with families to help everyone understand what school may look like in the fall, as well as the process for entering and leaving school buildings.”
Medical officer of health Dr. Chris Mackie was asked about the province’s announcement at Friday afternoon’s COVID-19 media briefing, less than an hour after the announcement was made. He said he hadn’t yet had a chance to look through the province’s plan, but noted he had gone through the report from Toronto’s SickKids Hospital that suggested children in Ontario should be able to return to school in September, even though the novel coronavirus likely won’t be eradicated by then.
“There was a lot of really positive things in the SickKids report, including the recognition that health-care leaders are not experts on the classroom and that schools and school boards and even down to the level of the teacher will have to have some thoughtful input on what safety looks like in their classrooms and how that might be different, adapted differently, at different school environments,” he said.
“It looks like a lot of that guidance will come from the province, which I think will be really helpful in terms of standardizing. But, of course, we’re there for our school board partners.”
The board adds that it will provide students and families with more information about “reopening plans as they are released.”
A source confirmed to Global News that the province’s final decision on the fall is not planned to be made public until early August.
— with files from Global News’ Ryan Rocca and Travis Dhanraj and The Canadian Press’s Melissa Couto.