Around six per cent of students attending public schools in the area will be attending remotely this fall, according to numbers provided by the Waterloo Region District School Board.
The board says 2,896 elementary and 1,002 secondary students chose the remote learning option for the fall.
It says there are 65,000 students currently enrolled in the public system.
Last spring, there were around 12,000 elementary and 4,000 secondary students participating in distance learning in public schools before everything was locked down entirely.
The numbers at the Waterloo Catholic District School Board paint a similar picture there are around 200 secondary and 600 elementary students who will learn remotely out of the 24,200 students enrolled.
“Out numbers are down fairly dramatically from the demand last year,” director of education Loretta Notten told Global News in an email.
In recent blog posts, the public board says changes can be made in some instances if students “have unique individual needs or extenuating circumstances” but they will need to do so by contacting their principal by Aug. 20.
In the blog posts published on Aug. 13, the board laid out some of its plan for schools this fall.
It says all students will once again be required to wear masks throughout the day in hallways, during classes and on school vehicles.
“Wearing a mask throughout the day may be a challenge for some of our learners,” the post reads.
“Our staff will work with students to make sure they understand why they are wearing a mask and how to wear it safely.”
A spokesperson for the board told Global News that students will not be required to wear masks outdoors this year.
“Current provincial guidance says students are not required to wear masks outdoors, but distancing should be encouraged between cohorts as much as possible.,” Laura Booth said in an email.
It says other details on health and safety measures are coming soon.
The board also says libraries and other shared spaces will begin to slowly become available to students this fall.
In the blog post directed toward secondary students and their families, the board says high schools will once again operate under the modified semesters.
This will see all students attend class at school daily with classmates, sticking with two courses on a daily basis, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
They will take four courses concurrently, studying two courses one week and two other courses the following week.
Those learning remotely will be on a similar timetable but the board says their course options will be limited compared with those attending class at school.
It says the following programs will not be available to those learning remotely: specialist high skills major, French immersion, advanced placement, international baccalaureate and the integrated arts program.
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