Jun. 12, 2020
On June 10, Education Minister Adriana LaGrange and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced the preferred and likely scenario is that students will return to daily in-school classes in September. The government will share its final decision by Aug. 1 on which scenario will be in place at the beginning of the school year. The government has also provided public health guidance for schools and the measures that would be required or suggested to reduce risks.
The CBE has a task force responsible for making plans for re-entry. This task force is preparing for the three different scenarios (normal operations, in-school classes with additional health measures and at-home learning). The team will consider these new government guidelines and how they will be implemented in our schools and workplaces. We expect that we may have to move between scenarios at different points in the year based on government direction as the COVID-19 situation evolves.
This task force is planning for how we will make adjustments in our schools and workplaces to ensure we comply with health and safety guidelines while supporting the delivery of quality learning. This includes the use of technology, the physical layout of classrooms, the potential impact on yellow school bus transportation, staffing requirements and much more.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide input on our student, staff and parent re-entry surveys. We received more than 70,000 responses. An initial look at the data confirms that many people are looking forward to returning to an in-person school experience, but they have questions and concerns about safety.
In the past week, there have also been many updates and changes to health restrictions put in place by government and health officials. However, the decisions we have implemented for the CBE remain in place for the remainder of this school year:
- in-person classes are cancelled;
- diploma exams are not taking place except for a limited number of students with special circumstances;
- summer school will continue to be offered online only;
- facility rentals are cancelled; and
- all year-end school or staff celebrations remain cancelled.
We know this is not how we are accustomed to celebrating the end of the school year and it is disappointing for many students, staff and families.
We will provide more information as it becomes available and throughout the summer so that families can begin their own planning for the new school year. Please ensure your school has your correct contact information and watch the CBE and school websites for the most up-to-date information.
Thank you for being such great partners in learning.
Christopher Usih
Chief Superintendent of Schools
