Based on the announcement made by Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Education Stephen Lecce, all CDSBEO elementary and secondary students will be returning to school with enhanced health and safety protocols on September 4. Elementary students will attend school five days per week for the full school day. Secondary schools will implement a quad-mestering model whereby students will attend school five days per week to participate in two courses at a time for nine-week periods or “quad-mesters”.
The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario presented their draft re-entry plan for September to Trustees on Wednesday, July 29, at a special in-camera meeting. The Board reviewed details of the plan, which includes measures for enhanced safety protocols for September.
The draft document, which includes nearly 100 pages of details on safety protocols for schools as well as the four return-to-school scenarios, was presented in summary for Trustees. The document has been divided into six detailed sections: consultation and communication, school site preparation, staff preparation, student preparation, school operations, and hygiene and cleaning protocols. Included in the plan are enhanced supports for students with special needs, as well as additional mental health supports for students with identified anxieties, and specialized training for staff.
The Board has developed four curriculum delivery models which include a conventional delivery (students attend five days per week) with enhanced health and safety protocols, two adaptive delivery models (A and B), as well as the distance learning model.
“We are confident that through this very extensive and well thought out re-entry plan, the Board has included consideration for all facets of the return to school in September,” noted Chair Todd Lalonde. “There has certainly been significant thought put into every aspect of the school day, and we look forward to sharing the plan in detail with our parent community.”
The final document will be posted to the CDSBEO website (www.cdsbeo.on.ca) once approved by the Ministry of Education.
