Ministry tells school boards to prep for remote learning as precaution

Local school board officials say no official decision has been made on whether students will start the New Year by learning remotely from home.

A memo sent earlier this week to school boards struck a chord across the province when Minister of Education Stephen Lecce encouraged staff and students to bring home any learning materials they might need before the start of the holiday break.

“It's saying be prepared and that's the reminder we've been hearing all year,” said Erin Kelly, director of education for the Greater Essex County District School Board.

Students in the Windsor-essex region are already in remote-only mode following an order by the Windsor Essex County Health Unit that shut down all schools on Monday.

After class today, high school and elementary students are off for the next two weeks.

“We are currently one of the only boards in the province in remote learning as we speak,” said Terry Lyons, director of education for the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board. “Having said that it will not be a logistical challenge as we are already providing a virtual platform for our students.”

Lecce has told the media the memo was a precaution so that the education system was ready for any scenario.

The Windsor-essex region moved to the grey-lockdown zone on Monday after an announcement by the Ontario government the previous Friday, but WECHU had already announced the school closures due to rising COVID-19 cases. To date, there have been outbreaks at five local schools.

“We've been able to pivot successfully over the last week,” Kelly said. “We are prepared and ready to continue that if necessary.”

There are 36,000 students in the GECDSB. Kelly said the board has loaned out 12,000 devices to support remote at-home learning and has an order in for several thousand more if needed.

There are 20,000 students in the Catholic board where some 9,000 devices have been loaned out.

Administrators acknowledged the pressures placed on parents if remote-only learning continues in January.

“We realize it's an adjustment for parents but safety has to be the first priority,” Kelly said.

“We are aware and empathetic of the pressures that this will put on our families who do not have childcare opportunities, but we are governed by the orders of the health unit and the ministry of education,” Lyons said.