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.
Today, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce has 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.
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.
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. 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,” said John Howitt, Director of Education for Lambton Kent District School Board.
“Health, safety and well-being for students and staff have been our highest priorities since we began our #SeptemberReady safe return to school planning,” says 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. 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; and
– A continuation of remote, teacher-led at-home learning.
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.
