More students back in classrooms in latest transition at school boards
After the latest transition between in-person and remote learning, there are approximately 465 more students — 418 at the Catholic board and 47 at the public board — in Hamilton classrooms.
Hundreds of Hamilton students switched learning models at both boards this week, some moving to virtual learning and others returning to their home schools.
By Thursday, about 680 students at the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board returned to classrooms across the city.
A similar number — approximately 636 students — chose to switch into a remote learning program.
These students made the switch earlier this month, as of the Feb. 8 return to school.
“Families are making choices for many reasons,” public board spokesperson Shawn McKillop said in an email to The Spectator.
He said frustration with technology, isolation, difficulty motivating their kids and changes in circumstances are among the reasons parents are choosing to send kids back to the classroom.
Families who took their kids out of classrooms cited concerns about kids’ safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of this week, in-school enrolment at the Catholic board is up at the elementary level and down at the secondary level.
As of Monday, 15,970 students are learning in-person — compared to 15,552 in the fall.
Monday was the last opportunity for HWCDSB students to transition between learning models.
Virtual learning at the secondary level increased by about 1,500 students — from 1,942 in the fall to 3,412 as of Feb. 23.
Board chair Pat Daly said he believes age has “a lot to do with it.”
“A high school student is able to stay home alone,” he said. “With elementary-aged children, a lot of parents would not have that option.”
He said some parents may have realized that being in school is “really helpful” for kids’ mental health and socialization.
To support the latest transition, boards were required to shuffle — and, in the case of the public board, hire — teaching staff.
The public board opened seven classrooms, adding 8.4 fulltime equivalent teachers to the elementary roster, as well as three full-time dedicated early childhood educators, as the board welcomed back a number of full-day kindergarten students through this transition.
No new teachers were hired at the Catholic board as a result of the latest reorganization.
“The change would have been teachers moving from a virtual classroom to in-school,” Daly said.
“So we didn't have to hire additional teachers to keep the class sizes low.”
Daly said the board hired approximately 65 teachers at the beginning of the year “to lower class sizes,” and have maintained those hires throughout the year. Current in-person class sizes, which are similar to those in the fall, range between 12 and 25 students. Virtual classrooms have between 16 and 32.
Josie Pini, principal at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Elementary School, said the 16 students who returned to in-person learning should have covered the same curriculum in their virtual classrooms.
But, as with any time a student changes classrooms, teachers would have to do a “gap analysis” to determine the level of each individual student.
“In any one class, you'll have students of all different levels anyway, so it's just a matter of finding out which level they're going to fit into and then teach them from there,” she said.
Scan to see more reporting from The Spec’s Kate McCullough.