WSD unveils back-to-school plan

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This article was published 25/08/2020 (2032 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Students are heading back to school on Sept. 8. With COVID-19 cases on the rise, Winnipeg’s largest school division has unveiled the framework for what classrooms will look like amidst the pandemic.

The WSD unveiled its plan on Aug. 17, sending an email to parents the next day. The document, titled A Framework for School Planning During COVID-19 Pandemic, details the guidelines and procedures intended to keep students safe in their classrooms.

The framework is meant to be a general outline on how this would work, with specifics determined by individual schools, which are sending their plans out to parents.

According to WSD representatives, the division is so massive and its 78 schools so diverse that each school must come up with a plan that suits its own needs. As the division tries to get everything ready, some parents are concerned that the plans had not been unveiled a few weeks before classes start.

Radean Carter, WSD senior information, said the division is confident it has a solid plan and will make adjustments as needed.

“I understand that parents are (concerned) but nothing is going to be perfect. We’ve looked at this from every possible angle, we’re confident we’re ready,” Carter said. “But until we have students back in classes, we won’t know what works and what doesn’t work. We just have to wait until Sept. 8 to see how it goes … And adjust accordingly to make sure everyone is safe.”

In the framework, kindergarten to Grade 8 students, as well as students with special needs, will return to classrooms five days a week, while students in Grades 9 to 12 will attend classes two days per week, working on assignments and connecting with their teachers through remote learning.

Following provincial guidelines, all students in Grades 4 to 12 will be required to wear face masks.

Attendance and participation is mandatory. If children cannot return to school, they must provide letters from their doctors and  the school will provide learning-from-home accommodations. If there is no personal or family health risk, parents must register with the province to homeschool their children.

If they do this, they will be responsible for funding their child’s education themselves.

According to Carter, the curriculum has not changed, it will just be delivered in a different way.

For students with special needs, such as autism spectrum disorder, schools will work with parents to help students adjust to the new normal.

The WSD has a number of strategies in place to deal with mental health trauma. Staff and families will be provided learning opportunities to help everyone cope. For example, safeTALK is a suicide alertness training that helps people recognize the signs of suicide and learn to take action.

Carter said this is a learning process for everyone.

“It’s funny … (The WSD) had a pandemic plan. We had a pandemic plan for several years, every year we’d look at it, update it and think we’re prepared. Then an actual pandemic happens, all of a sudden, that plan’s couple of pages doesn’t come close to the plan we required to address (COVID-19),” Carter said.

Carter said the return to school will require parents, teachers and staff to work together, more than they’ve ever before.

To view the WSD’s plan, visit winnipegsd.ca