School board plans could see students back in classrooms this September

The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District says it's developing preliminary plans for September that could see students return to classes with in-person instruction.

In a news release Friday, the NLESD said if the number of cases of COVID-19 in the province remains low, many schools could return to normal instruction with minimal change, particularly forsmaller schools.

For larger schools, other optionsare being considered, includingfinding alternate locations forclasses.

The district said if cases increase, it will have to be ready to pivot to a blended model of both in-class and online learning, or to move entirely to virtual classes.

If that were to happen, the district said, online classes would look "very different" from the online learning in the latter part of this school year, with scheduled teaching and learning and tests and assignments.

More info needed from province

But before a firm plan can be put in place, the NLESD said it needs three things from the provincial government:

• final guidance from the Chief Medical Officer of Health about how student transportation and the delivery of education are affected in each alert level;
• funding to provide equitable access to technology and the internet for students and teachers;
• information about any changes to curriculums or provincial exams.

"Obviously our goal is to have all K-12 students back in classrooms, engaged in face-to-face learning with their teachers," said Goronwy Price, who chairs the board of trustees.

"But we cannot predict with certainty how the COVID-19 health emergency willevolve over the next couple of months, and what direction we will be provided from public health and other government authorities with respect to protocols in classrooms, on school busesand within the school environment in general."

Tony Stack, CEO and director of education of the NLESD, said all teachers have also been a part of mandatory training about teaching online.

"This is new to many of our educators, but through these professional learning sessions we expect to be better prepared to adjust to whatever scenario we will face in September and to switch course in short order, if necessary."

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador