Here are the back-to-school plans for all 4 Ottawa boards
Students in both English and French-language school boards expected to return to class Sept. 3
With September fast approaching, Ottawa-area families can now get up to speed on the latest back-to-school guidelines from the region's English- and French-language boards.
Earlier this week, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) and Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) released their back-to-school plans, causing concern among some parents and trustees.
The Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario (CEPEO) and Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE) have now released their guidelines as well.
Students in all four school boards are expected to return to class Sept. 3.
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
According to the OCDSB's plan, elementary and middle school students will return to class full time and will have to remain with their classmates all day, including during lunch and recess.
Secondary students will be broken into two cohorts that will alternate between two and three mornings a week in the classroom, followed by online learning at home in the afternoons. There will be a maximum of 15 students in the classroom at any time.
A remote learning option will still be available for all ages. Parents have until Sunday to decide whether their children will attend school or continue their education online only.
Click the link to read more about the board's back-to-school plan.
Ottawa Catholic School Board
Like the OCDSB, the OCSB says elementary students will return to school full time in September, with an average of 26 kids in each kindergarten class, up to 23 students per classroom in grades 1 to 3, and an average of 24 students in grades 4 to 8.
For high schools, the OCSB has adopted a similar hybrid model to the OCDSB. Students will be divided into two cohorts that will alternate between two- and three-day schedules. Class sizes will be reduced to between 13 and 17 students.
The high school year will also be broken up into a quad system, with students taking two classes each quarter.
An online option will be available for all students. Parents have until Friday to decide. Both English-language boards say families can change their minds later on, but likely not until at least halfway through the fall.
Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario
Eastern Ontario's French public school board says students in kindergarten to Grade 8 will return to class full time in September.
The CEPEO will continue with virtual learning for students who choose it. All other students in Grades 9 to 12 would attend school 50 per cent of the time.
This will require the adoption of a rotating schedule for each cohort of students.
The school board said it has submitted a request to the Ministry of Education for an exemption from this precise model for nine of its schools.
If the request is approved, students in Grades 9 to 12 in the nine schools will return to school full time, five days per week rather than the mandated 50 per cent. However, if rejected, the board said it will "promptly notify the parents of the schools concerned."
Parents have until Aug. 19. to indicate whether their child will be opting for classroom instruction or remote learning.
More details about health protocols and cohort scheduling were released Thursday in CEPEO's guide for parents.
Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est
According to the CECCE's website, class sizes will remain capped at 25 to 30 students. Students in grades 7 and 8 will return to in-person classes and will follow the regular full-time schedule.
Grades 9 to 12 will also be split into cohorts and will follow a rotating schedule allowing each group to alternate throughout the week.
However the board's website is promising more information on high schools will come while administrators wait "on responses from the Ministry of Education."
The CECCE had initially banned the use of backpacks for the school year, but has since reversed its position, according to a letter sent to parents Thursday.
The deadline to indicate if a student will be enrolling in full-time online virtual learning or in-person instruction is Friday.
