The decision to extend the closure of all Ontario’s publicly-funded elementary and secondary schools beyond the original April 5 date “rests with the Minister of Education,” noted Simcoe County District School Board chair Jodi Lloyd.
The SCDSB has been bombarded with questions from parents, looking for clarity.
“We are expecting an announcement… within the next couple of days,” said Chair Lloyd. “I know parents want definitive answers, but it’s very difficult for any of us to give those answers right now.”
Lloyd acknowledged that the expectation is that closures will be extended, noting, “I think it might be a longer process than people hoped for. We as a board are preparing for that.”
One of the big challenges is providing online access to learning supports, for parents and students. In a school board with over 73,000 elementary and secondary students and 7,000 staff, Lloyd explained, “We have students with varying access to technology. There is limited access to internet in some areas of the County.”
Part of the planning process involves teachers reaching out to their students and families, to try to build a picture of the current inventory - what technology is available, and what is needed.
“It’s a big undertaking,” Lloyd said, especially since the Education Centre in Midhurst has been closed due to COVID-19 concerns and most staff are working from home. “Working remotely… increases the challenge.”
For the past two weeks, the board has been working on the online resources for both parents and students, a process that will continue.
“We are working very hard at this. It is very challenging,” Lloyd said, asking parents to be patient, and to expect a “new normal” while the pandemic continues – and perhaps for months to come.
Whatever e-learning and alternative options are developed in the coming weeks, “it will not replicate school. It is not possible to digitally replicate school,” she warned. “It will be imperfect. We will do our very best.”
Lloyd added, “We have a network of very committed staff. It will just not be business as usual.”
Minister of Education Stephen Lecce has tasked each school board with identifying and addressing the needs of their communities, and “each board is in different stages,” Lloyd said. “Some are urban, some are rural, some are mixed urban-rural, like Simcoe County.”
One of the biggest challenges: “We can’t make the assumption that every child has access to internet.” Finding a solution will require provincial action.
Lloyd suggested that parents can check for updates on the SCDSB website’s COVID-19 page.
She also had a request to all parents and students: Please avoid congregating in school yards or using school playground equipment, including basketball courts, during the closures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“All playgrounds, play structures, are closed. Please do not access them,” Lloyd said. “It’s for our own safety, and the safety of our friends and families.”
Not only is it impossibel to sanitize playground equipment, “We don’t want students gathering for any reason.”
It is a fluid situation, as the impact of the pandemic changes daily. Said Lloyd, “No-one expected this six months ago. Who could ever have imagined where we are today?”
Ontario residents can expect an announcement from the Ministry of Education "early next week," said Alexandra Adamo, Media Relations with the Ministry - but probably not until Tuesday.
The announcement is expected to include information on alternative learning resources and platforms, especially for families without access to computer technology. "We're definitely looking at the equity piece," Adamo said.
