Hamilton public board adjusts school reopening plans
Reducing elementary class sizes to 15 students would cost $76 million, according to report
If the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) were to adjust elementary class sizes to 15 students per class — as recommended by SickKids experts — it would require an additional 900 teachers at a hefty cost of $76 million.
That’s according to a staff report that went before trustees Monday evening as the board adjusts its health and safety protocols for schools set to reopen in the coming weeks.
The report does not mention specific changes concerning elementary school class sizes, save for the one metre of space between each student as recommended by the province.
Should space in a given classroom be constrained, other areas like learning commons and gyms will be repurposed to meet provincial directives, the report states.
The board has received $1.2 million in funding from the province to hire an additional 22 full-time caretakers, who will be tasked with cleaning and disinfecting classrooms and high-touch surfaces at a minimum of twice per day.
The board also says it is working with third-party consultants to review its schools’ ventilation systems.
On the hygiene front, the report says schools will schedule “hand hygiene breaks” throughout the
day. That’s on top of requiring students to sanitize or wash their hands before lunch, snack breaks and entering classrooms.
While masks are required of students in Grades 4 to 12, the board says students in kindergarten to Grade 3 “will be encouraged, but not required” to wear masks indoors or on buses where physical distancing is not possible.
Increased signage “with attention to destigmatizing COVID-19” will be issued to all board schools, the report states. Water fountains are not to be used and washrooms will have cap numbers.
The board says it is working with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education to formalize specific guidelines as it pertains to outbreaks occurring in schools. Meanwhile, the HamiltonWentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB) remains mum on its reopening plans.
Pat Daly, chair of the board, said in an interview Monday that the HWCDSB is in the “final stages” of developing a guide for parents and staff regarding reopening logistics.
A Q&A has been sent to parents with additional information about the board’s reopening, Daly said, and a survey asking parents whether their child will return to school in September will be sent next week.