Saunders and Eagle Heights schools used to test fall return to class

The Thames Valley District School Board will use two of the city's largest schools to test run back-to-school scenarios for the fall.

Eagle Heights Public School and Saunders Secondary School will be transformed this summer to accommodate three versions of a return to class.

Ontario's Education Minister Stephen Lecce said Friday school boards must prepare for one of the following:

• A plan for regular in-class instruction with heightened health protocols.
• The continuation of remote learning with more standardization. This would happen should school closures be extended, or if some parents choose not to send their child back to school, the province says.
• An adapted delivery model, which blends in-class with online learning, which would see students alternating being in class by days or weeks.

In each scenario, class size must not exceed 15 students.  

"We will be working closely with public health officials and using these test schools to develop our plans to submit to the Ministry," said Education Director Mark Fisher in a statement Friday.

"We will also be taking photos and videos to share with families to help everyone understand what school may look like in the fall, as well as the process for entering and leaving school buildings." 

The TVDSB said it would experiment with modified classroom seating, using gymnasiums as classrooms, and considering how to blend online learning into day-to-day activities. It's also looking at protective barriers, signage and floor markers, and enhanced cleaning. 

Fisher said the board is also consulting with daycare operators who have been open during the pandemic on lessons learned.  

All school boards must present their back-to-school plans to their local health unit and to the ministry for approval.