The Hamilton-Wentworth District school board (HWDSB) has pushed back its deadline to register students for either in-person or online learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The board is now giving parents until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday (Aug. 27) to register through the online portal.
The move comes as the HWDSB continues to struggle with technical issues surrounding missing students’ profiles, not recognizing email addresses and password activations.
In a press conference on Tuesday, board director Manny Figueiredo says the information from the portal is crucial to allocate teachers for either in-person classes or to facilitate learning through online classes.
“So the next two weeks, when that data comes in, we’ll be going through school reorganization and staffing, ” Figueiredo said.
“People will stay assigned to their schools and some will have to be assigned to remote schools. That has to happen the next two weeks.”
Principals and office administrators have already returned to work at most schools, according to Figueiredo, reaching out to parents who are having trouble registering.
Administrators will also spend professional activity days next week for safety training while other staff will be unpacking personal protection equipment (PPE) for workers and students attending in-person classes.
20 per cent of students expected to use remote learning exclusively, says board
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On Tuesday, HWDSB chair Alex Johnstone told Global News initial registrations are suggesting up to 20 per cent of returning students will opt out of any kind of in-person classes once the 2020-21 school year begins.
In a meeting last week with Education Minister Stephen Lecce, a number of school boards echoed parents’ concerns over safety in classrooms, says Johnstone.
She believes the 20-per cent signup rate is a result of those concerns.
“Parents want details. They need to know exactly what the school is going to look like so that they can feel confident and safe in their choice,” Johnstone said.
“So I think that’s why we’re seeing over just over 20 per cent of our parents so far indicating that they will be learning remotely.”
Figueiredo says online learning will appear in two models with one virtual school for elementary students while secondary students will continue with the existing e-learning platform.
The elementary online school is not expected to be asynchronous learning with in-class teachers but its own exclusive portal with its own online teachers, according to the HWDSB director.
“If parents choose a remote school, that means they’re choosing fully 100 percent online,’ said Figueiredo.
“The expectation is just like in the physical world: if students receive five hours of instruction, we will staff that school (remote) with teachers and they also receive five hours of instruction online.”
It’s expected the HWDSB will begin repurposing current staff to remote virtual schools next week.
Figueiredo believes the 20 per cent who are opting for remote learning will actually provide some aid for classrooms in terms of creating more distancing between students.
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In an earlier version of the board’s pandemic plan, the HWDSB was projecting class sizes of about 26 in a fall 2020 return. However, by allocating $9 million from the board’s reserve fund and a fifth of students choosing remote learning, kindergarten classes will likely have an average class size of about 22 when the first semester starts.
In-person students will face physical distancing rules, says director
Students opting for in-person learning will have to get used to a deluge of physical distancing rules in classrooms, hallways, and even in washrooms at HWDSB schools.
On Tuesday, the board used Shannen Koostachin elementary as an example of the coronavirus safety plan students will face during their fall return.
At the forefront of the measures were public health messages tacked to walls, one-metre distancing between desks, limited seating at tables, shut down water fountains and even closed off washroom stalls.
“You’re going to see classrooms that are still beautiful classrooms, but desks in rows, less desks and some in some cases and a lot of removal of things that might have been there before that brought kids to groups,” Figueiredo explained.
He also emphasizes how important a staggered start is for staff and students as many will need time to become accustomed to wearing masks, using hand sanitizers and getting used to different recess breaks which will limit student numbers through dividing grades for smaller numbers.
The HWDSB is spending close to $2.1 million in COVID-19 related expenses for the 2020-21 school year, which will cover elements including mental health supports and enhanced cleaning supplies.
The new enhanced safety measures, based on advice from Hamilton Public Health, will include additional caretakers, the removal of staff’s personal belongings, re-purposing gymnasiums as classroom space, masks on all students, student cohorting, and daily screenings.
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