The St. Clair Catholic District School Board is working collaboratively on a ‘September Ready’ plan.
Director of Education Deb Crawford provided an update for parents/guardians, staff and community partners on the work that is being done to prepare for the safe return to school in September.
“Our plan – September Ready – will result in a model for the safe return to school that puts the safety and wellness of our students, families and staff first,” Crawford said in a media release.
“Our team of professionals has expertise in emergency management, school programming and school administration.”
The team is nearing completion of an extensive risk assessment, which is key to the development of a safe return to school model.
The Medical Officers of Health for Lambton and Chatham-Kent are being consulted throughout the process and will provide ongoing audits of the plan as it is developed.
The September Ready team is working from four main planning tables:
– Elementary and secondary school operations, which includes health and safety, mental wellness and staff workload.
– Logistics, which includes sourcing and distributing personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies, and school signage regarding distancing and hygiene.
– School programming and planning, which includes environmental scans and risk assessments related to programming and school modelling.
– And finance/administration, which includes cost, procurement and tracking.
St. Clair Catholic District School Board officials say safe transportation of students is also a critical element of the planning process.
The project team will work directly with CLASS, which manages transportation for the Board, to develop a plan for busing that aligns with the school model and make safety a priority.
The safe return to school model will be finalized in mid-August.
The Board is committed to providing regular and ongoing communication with all stakeholders, throughout the summer, St. Clair Catholic District School Board officials say.
The Board is also collaborating closely with coterminous school boards.
“Our students, families and staff can be assured that our September Ready project team is at work every day as we develop our plan,” Crawford added.
“I am confident that when our students return to school in September, they will have the best Catholic education experience possible, in a new model that puts their health, safety and wellness first.”
