Waterloo Region District School Board sets Friday as due date to swap kids' learning modes

Families of elementary school students now have until Friday to request a change in learning mode, the Waterloo Region District School Board said in a release.

The new deadline to request a change from in-person to remote learning, or vice-versa, is Sept. 25 at 4:00 p.m. It replaces the previous deadline of Oct. 16.

The board says it wants to reduce disruptions and ensure students start learning via their preferred mode as soon as possible. Students are expected to transition by mid-October.

The board currently has about 1,000 requests pending from families who want to make a switch, according to a tweet sent Monday evening. The board did not say whether the majority of requests are from families who want to pull their kids out of in-person school, or put them back in.

Anyone who wants to request a change should call their school principal.

The next opportunity to request a switch is scheduled for Jan. 15. Families who ask for a change in learning mode at that time will make the transition Feb. 3.

The next decision windows for elementary schools in the Waterloo Catholic District School Board are Sept. 24 to 28, Nov. 4 to 6 and Jan. 27 to 29.For Catholic secondary schools, the dates are Oct. 19 to 21 Jan. 4 to 6 and March 22 to 24.