HOW PROVINCES PLAN TO START SCHOOL YEAR

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Most students up to Grade 12 return starting Sept. 8. Students will be organized into groups of no more than 60 (elementary and middle schools) or 120 (high schools). School districts are to post final details online by Aug. 26.

ALBERTA

Plans to fully reopen schools this fall. Schools with no outbreak will rely on measures such as hand sanitizers, more frequent cleaning and grouping students into cohorts. Students and teachers must stay home if sick. Masks will be optional. Measures will be tightened if an outbreak occurs and class sizes could be reduced to 20. Some schools will stagger class times or designate entrance or exit doors and replace water fountains with bottle-filling stations.

SASKATCHEWAN

A team composed of public health, education department and teacher representatives is working to provide school divisions with more precise directions by early August.

MANITOBA

Most students back in classrooms on Sept. 8. All students up to Grade 8 are to have in-class instruction five days a week. High schools with inadequate space for physical distancing will have some days of remote learning. Students will not be required to wear masks, but schools will be asked to ensure students are two metres apart as much as possible. Lunch and recess breaks are to be staggered, and in many cases teachers will change classrooms instead of students. Buses will run at reduced capacity, and parents will be asked to transport their children to school if they can.

ONTARIO

Schools return full-time in September. High school students at two dozen boards — including the Toronto District School Board — will only attend class half the time, with a maximum class size of 15. Those students will receive “curriculum-linked independent work” on days when they are not in class. Parents will also have the option to keep their kids out of class, and boards must provide options for remote learning. Masks will be mandatory for students in grades 4-12.

QUEBEC

All students back in classrooms this fall with a backup plan should cases spike. Classrooms up to Grade 9 will include “bubbles” — groups of six students within a class that won’t require any distancing at all. Otherwise, a one-metre distance between students and a two-metre distance between students and staff. Teachers will move from classroom to classroom, but students will stay put.

NEW BRUNSWICK

Students up to Grade 8 are to attend school full-time, while Grades 9 to 12 will have some online instruction. Some classrooms may have smaller groupings. Staggered arrivals, breaks and lunches. Students, staff and pre-approved visitors will be subject to screening, and anyone feeling ill told to stay home. High school students are expected to have their own computer.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Schools reopen for teachers and staff on Sept. 1 and to students on Sept. 8. Measures include staggered entry, rescheduled breaks, and self-screening, and more bus routes with lower capacity. Parents will be asked to transport their children whenever possible. Schools could have different protocols in place, depending on enrolment, grade level and physical layout.

NOVA SCOTIA

All students in classrooms by

Sept. 8, but measures planned in the event of a second wave include smaller class sizes and home learning for older students. Buildings limited to students and staff. Lecture rooms will be reorganized. When possible, teachers will be asked to move their classes outdoors. Staff and students will be required to wear a mask in common areas where physical distancing is difficult, such as hallways and school buses, but not inside classrooms. Students will be asked to bring their own computers to school.

NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

In-class instruction, remote learning or a combination of both, depending on the risk in a particular community. Spaces will be configured to maintain distance, students grouped into cohorts, surfaces deep cleaned, and students who become ill will be isolated. Classrooms at 50 per cent capacity when the COVID -19 risk is low to moderate. Classroom priority will be given to students in kindergarten through Grade 6, to kids who have special needs, and for children of essential workers. In high-risk communities, online learning with a minimum number of hours of instruction each week on core curriculum. Laptops for teachers and students in Grades 7 through 12.

YUKON

Each school will determine how it will adjust its operations. Schools are expected to share that information before to September. Guidelines will include requirements for hand washing and hygiene, cleaning, and maintaining safe distancing in schools, as well as protocols for school buses and managing illness and absences.

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Schools are preparing to shift between in-person, distance and blended learning at short notice should there become active COVID-19 cases. Distance learning is also to be available for students who cannot attend school due to higher health risks, or in cases where schools must close temporarily.

NUNAVUT

All schools will open as usual this fall. Cleaning will be enhanced, group activities limited and students won’t be allowed to share food in lunchrooms. Schools could shut part-time if contact tracing were to identify a possible source of COVID-19. All schools would be closed if community transmission were to take place. Nunavut has no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.