Deputy Education Minister George Daley (Photo: YouTube)
Parents and students got a taste last week, of what the upcoming school year will look like during a pandemic.
Deputy Minister of Education George Daley says they will have to consider those students who will not be coming back to class.
“We will have vulnerable students who, for medical reasons, may not come back to the school in the fall, we realize that. We will have to put plans in place to ensure that education is still happening for those students,” Daley says.
The province is also currently coming up with procedures for staff who may be working with students who have specific needs, “We continue to work with health for developing safety protocols for our Educational Assistants who are going to have close contact with students.”
He adds they will have to look at other types of physical activities, “To replace perhaps what were traditional phys ed classes or things that we used to have the kids out doing. It’s something that is key for us all, and we will inform the parents as part of the Operational Plan before school returns.”
Kindergarten to Grade 5 students will see reduced class sizes, with the aim being around 15 students per class.
Grades 6 to 8 will have regular class sizes and students will be spread out in the classroom.
All students in kindergarten to Grade 8 will be grouped by class and stay within their grouping throughout the day.
“These groups, these classes, will be separated throughout the day. They’ll use separate entrances, may use staggered arrival times, along with having staggered lunches and breaks,” said Education Minister Dominic Cardy.
Students in Grades 9 to 12 will not be grouped due to schedules but there will be smaller class sizes.
Cardy said high school students will be taught using “blended learning” methods, which means they may not always be in the classroom.
