Hamilton’s Catholic elementary students have days to choose between remote and in-person learning

The guardians of Catholic elementary students will have only a few days to choose between in-person and remote learning, according to the school board.

In a letter to parents on Thursday, the board told those who wish to make a change in their child’s “model of learning” – either face-to-face learning or virtual learning – will have until the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 8 to complete a survey sent out on Friday.

“We are requesting that those that want to make a change from either in-school to remote or remote to in-school, if they could contact their child’s principal on Monday by the end of the day, and let them know,” Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB) chair Pat Daly told Global News.

“Then that transition would come into effect on Feb. 22.”

Only parents who wish to make a change to the current learning model need to reply to the survey, according to Daly.

Students with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) were required to make that choice in a January survey, according to spokesperson Shawn McKillop.

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“We continue to finalize, so we don’t have a number yet,” said McKillop.

“We’ll share numbers the week of Feb. 15 on how many students are moving from in-person to remote and those moving from remote to in-person on Feb. 25.”

All elementary students from both boards will be back on Monday except those who have chosen to return in person from remote learning. They will continue in virtual classrooms on Monday until they are assigned to a physical classroom.

Students who have chosen remote learning instead of returning in person will start the next semester online Monday.

As per the province’s return-to-school plan, secondary students will be a part of a hybrid model of learning that features blended in-person classes and remote learners.

Secondary students will go for one morning class every other day as part of a specific cohort.

Students returning in person at both school districts will be required to wear masks outdoors where physical distancing cannot be maintained and participate in screening protocols.