Hamilton’s public school board announces revised reopening plan amid COVID-19
- Michael Kras
- 25 Aug 2020
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) has announced its revised plans for a return to school for all students in the public education system amid the health & safety concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The revised reopening plans include measures such as mandatory masks – on the bus and in the school building – for all grade levels from junior kindergarten up to grade 12, a staggered start to the school year with a gradual return for students, and a reduction in class sizes in kindergarten as well as grades 4 to 8.
As part of this proposed new plan, the first two days of school this year – September 8th and 9th – would be reserved specifically for students with special needs. From there, the remaining student body will return in one of two groups, sorted by last name.
To maximize physical distancing, elementary students attending school in-person will alternate outdoor time during nutrition breaks so only half of the student population is outside at one time. For our latest update visit https://t.co/ZepNJalixr pic.twitter.com/jdGEHQPpun
— HWDSB (@HWDSB) August 22, 2020
Grade 9 and 10 students with last names between A to K will be returning on September 10th, and students in the same grades with last names from L to Z returning September 11th.
These groups based on last name will continue the following week for grades 11 to 12, with the first group attending on Monday September 14th and the second group on Tuesday September 15th. From there, as of Wednesday September 16th, students from grades 9 to 12 will return to full class sizes going forward.
What about class sizes at the elementary school level? In the plan, the Hamilton public school board says that – assuming all students plan to attend classes in-person versus online – kindergarten classes will be 25 to 26 students large, with grades 1 to 3 having a maximum of 20 in class. Grades 4 to 8 will be capped at 25 students.
Class schedules will also be modified, operating on a rotational basis for high schools with 5 period school days.
The board intends to make use of its approximate $9 million in reserve funds to aid in facilitating these new plans.
Additionally, the board expects roughly 10,000 of its current students, or about 20 per cent, to opt into alternative plans for online learning instead. One virtual school has already been planned to accommodate some of the expected student loads, but a second would have to be instated to match the predicted demand.
The board says it hopes to have plans in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak in place this week, and a more detailed reopening plan will be released on August 31.
To read the current proposed plans, check out the HWDSB website.
Comments 0
There are no comments
Add comment