The Calgary Board of Education is giving families one last opportunity to enrol students in online learning this fall as the COVID-19 pandemic carries on.
In a notice to parents and guardians on Thursday, the board said “given the state of the public health situation,” enrollment for online learning will be open for the entire 2021-22 school year.
If families enrol, it will be a commitment for the entire year, the CBE said.
“It is not designed to allow for transitions to in-person learning at any point during the school year,” the board said.
“Students who transfer to CBe-learn from alternative programs or schools with capped enrolment/lotteries will not have their space held and would need to go through the transfer or lottery process again if they wish to return in future years.”
Online learning is open to students in grades 1 through 12.
Enrolment for online learning starts on Aug. 23, with virtual classes starting on either Sept. 7 or Sept. 13, depending on transfer times and when particular schools officially open.
More information on the online learning options, as well as instructions on how to sign up, can be found on the CBE’s website.
The CBE also said Wednesday that it was reinstating its mask mandate for all indoor spaces, for all students and staff in all schools.
The changes come a week after the province released its back-to-school plan, which saw virtually all previous public health measures removed from schools, including mandatory masking and tracing of positive cases.
Alberta has once again seen an uptick in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in recent weeks, with 678 new cases reported on Wednesday. One-hundred-eighty-four people were being treated in hospital with COVID-19, with 48 in intensive care units.