GECDSB director says province's school reopening guidelines were expected

The director of education for the Greater Essex County District School Board says the Ontario government's Friday reopening announcement which providesrelative flexibility for local school boards isn't surprising, especially given the different patchwork of needs borne by administrators and students amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"I think that the plan would be representative of the situation in each context," said Erin Kelly, speaking to CBC News shortly after the province unveiled its safety plan for the resumption of classes for the 2020-21 school year.

"Even with it, we're only in Stage 1 in this environment, whereas other places are in a different place, so I think all those things need to be considered."

School boards across the province have been tasked with preparingthree distinct plans for September:

• A plan for regular in-class instruction with heightened health protocols.
• The continuation of remote learning with more standardization. This would happen should school closures be extended, or if some parents choose not to send their child back to school, the province says.
• An adapted delivery model, which blends in-class with online learning, which would see students alternating being in class by days or weeks.

Kelly said her school board has already begun discussions around planning student timetables, considerations around busing, as well as trying to figure out how many students can safely be in a single classroom.

"All of those things have certainly been considered," Kelly said. "And, of course, risk assessments for entry into schools we've done extensive work on that."

The GECDSB's education director also said her board has had discussions with other school boards and the region's public health unit about student safety and learning.

WATCH |Erin Kelly talks about school reopenings:

Windsor-Essex public school board director talks reopening

4 years ago

Duration 1:20

Given the patchwork of needs borne by school boards across the province, Greater Essex County District School Board education director Erin Kelly says the province's Friday reopening announcement isn't surprising.

Still, Kelly was clear that circumstances are continuing to change and that parents will continue to be informed about the decisions that are made.

"We're here to adapt, to be responsive, to understand the landscape as it changes," she said. "I'm hoping parents will be able to make all this work as well with us, and we'll listen to their voices as we move forward."

The Progressive Conservative government also announced on Friday plans to invest approximately $736 million into the province's public education system for the upcoming school year.

As per the government's funding promise, school boards will see an annual per-student grant of $12,525, representing a two per cent increase $250 per student compared to the 2019-20 school year.

During a Friday media conference, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said every school board across Ontario will see a funding increase.

Acknowledging that she needed more time to review the province's funding announcement before providing more detailed comment, Kelly said she was glad to see funding support in areas like mental health.

She added that it's not yet clear how the funding increase will offset costs for things like safety protocols and cleaning.

For its part, the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board (WECDSB) used a media release issued on Friday to address the province's school reopening plan.

I'm hoping parents will be able to make all this work as well with us ...- Erin Kelly, Director of Education, Greater Essex County District School Board

"We have taken a proactive approach by meeting as a senior administrative team to strategize around every possible scenario for a return to school protocol," said Terry Lyons, director of education with the WECDSB.

"Throughout the summer we will continue to consult with parents, our local health unit, our trustees, our coterminous school boards, our principals and all of our labour groups to develop a plan so that our students will be able to get back on track when school resumes."

The region's Catholic board expects to have a draft plan which will include details regarding class sizes, student schedules, transportation and special needs accommodations by early July.

WECDSB executive superintendent Dan Fister used the same media release to say that his organization has seen a "record number of students enroll in our summer e-learning programs which tells us that students are eager to kick start their learning, get ahead, and be ready for when school resumes."