The Lambton Kent District School Board (LKDSB) and St. Clair Catholic District School Board (SCCDSB) are looking to gather information from parents/guardians regarding plans for the reopening of schools in September.
School board officials said in a joint press release that Minister of Education Stephen Lecce directed that LKDSB and SCCDSB elementary and secondary schools will reopen in September with a return to full-time, in-class learning with enhanced safety measures.
Both the LKDSB and SCCDSB have been planning for this possibility and are working in collaboration with Lambton and Chatham-Kent Medical Officers of Health, to develop measures which promote the health, safety and well-being of all students and staff, school board officials say.
In order to support planning for the 2020-2021 school year, the LKDSB and SCCDSB are looking to gather important feedback from families about their intentions regarding the return to school in September.
Each board has developed a survey.
The question is simply this:
The Minister of Education has directed that elementary and secondary schools in the Lambton Kent and St. Clair Catholic district school boards will reopen in September with full-time in person classroom learning, with enhanced safety measures. Will your child:
– Return to school for in-person classroom learning, or
– Participate in online teacher-led learning at home.
School board officials say after August 28, there will be limited opportunities within the school year for parents/guardians to switch their child’s school experience from electronic to face-to-face instruction.
Families must notify the school in advance and there will be a waiting period prior to their child’s admission to school, depending on scheduling and availability of classroom space.
The survey link will be emailed directly to parents/guardians this week using an email address on file.
LKDSB parents/guardians who do not have an email address on file should contact their school principal.
SCCDSB parents/guardians who do not have an email address on file should contact the Board at backtoschool@sccdsb.net or call 1-866-336-6139 and press 2. School contact information is available at www.st-clair.net. Go to ‘Our Schools’ on the main page.
Or visit the www.lkdsb.net home page for the list of elementary and secondary schools.
Parents/guardians will have one week to complete the survey.
“We understand there is a lot of uncertainty regarding what school will look like in September for students,” stated John Howitt, director of education for the Lambton-Kent District School Board, in a media release.
“Please be assured that as we develop plans, our top priorities are the health and safety of Lambton-Kent District School Board students and staff. We appreciate the input of parents/guardians to guide our decisions for the 2020-2021 school year. We remain committed to supporting a safe and positive transition to school in September that promotes students’ success and well-being.”
Health, safety and well-being for students and staff has been their highest priorities since the SCCDSB began their #SeptemberReady safe return to school planning said Deb Crawford, director of education for St. Clair Catholic.
“It is important that we hear from our parents/guardians, as we continue to develop our plans,” Crawford said in a media release.
“Our goal is to provide an excellent learning experience for all St. Clair Catholic students, in school environments that promote health, safety and well-being for all.”
As per directions from the Ministry of Education, like all publicly funded school boards, LKDSB and SCCDSB have developed plans for three possible scenarios:
– A return to regular, in-class learning with enhanced health and safety protocols.
– An adaptive model, including a modified school day routine with a maximum limit of 15 students in a typical classroom at one time, with alternate day scheduling and timetabling that would limit student contact with teachers and classmates as much as possible.
– A continuation of remote, teacher-led at-home learning.
School board officials say both LKDSB and SCCDSB will be prepared to respond to changes, as necessary, throughout the 2020-2021 school year based on directions from the Ministry and provincial and local Medical Officers of Health.
Visit the LKDSB website at www.lkdsb.net or the SCCDSB #SeptemberReady web page at https://newsdesk.st-clair.net/category/september-ready/ for additional information.
