The Ministry of Education, with guidance from public health, will provide direction on school opening to our board. Direction was provided to all school boards on July 30th, 2020.

The first day of school is Tuesday, September 8, 2020 for Grade 1 -12. We will be ready to have your child(ren) back for learning.

The first day of school is Monday, September 14, 2020 for Kindergarten.

As per the Ministry of Education’s direction:
Elementary
Elementary school children in Kindergarten through Grade 8 will attend school 5 days per week, with one cohort for the full day, including recess and lunch.

• Enhanced health and safety protocols will be in place.
• School boards will provide the full range of elementary curriculum.

Secondary
All school boards will adopt secondary timetabling methods that emphasize cohorting of students as much as possible, to limit the number of student-to-student contacts.

• Secondary schools in designated school boards will open on an adapted model, with class cohorts of approximately 15 students, attending on alternate days, or alternate schedules that would represent in person attendance for at least 50% of instructional days. The GECDSB has been recognized as a designated board.

The GECDSB will now finalize the specifics of its plan and follow the previous announced time line.

The Education Act notes that schooling is mandatory for students under 18, so daily attendance (whether face-to-face or electronically) is expected.

The Ministry has noted that the decision to send a child to school for face-to-face instruction is the parent/guardian’s choice. If you chose not to send your child to school then the GECDSB will provide remote (distance) education.

More details will be available soon about notifying your school/board about your intention.

If you chose not to send your child to school, there will predetermined times throughout the year to return to face-to-face learning.

We are working with Windsor Essex Student Transportation Service (WESTS), the regional transportation consortium, and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) to determine our back to school bussing plans. WESTS will be following public health directives about student health and safety on busses. Physical distancing requirements will result in a significant reduction in the number of students on each bus in September. WESTS will be sharing their safety protocols and scheduling with families shortly.

Students who were eligible for transportation last year are not required to re-register for the bus. You only need to re-apply for transportation if you have changed addresses or changed schools.

If your children are eligible for transportation but will not be riding the bus this year, we would appreciate you filling the opt-out form, which can be found at Bus Kids by scrolling down to the bus registration section. By completing this form it will assist us with planning physical distancing and a more accurate manifest of who will be riding.

On advice from our Ministry and from health officials, contact tracing is a priority. Therefore, Massey’s full year courses will not be viable for 2020-21.

Please refer to the GECDSB Child Care Partner Overview for a comprehensive list of child care facilities.

If you are new to our board or have moved to another area within Windsor or Essex County, you are able to register your child at www.publicboard.ca or direct link at GECDSB Registration. We encourage you to do so as soon as possible.

Daily assessment of children’s health for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 is the parent/guardian’s responsibility. Symptoms such as cough, fever, or headache are to be monitored and students are to stay at home until they are well. They will not be permitted to attend school. Please refer to Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU About COVID-19)

If you, or any of the people in the household, have a confirmed case of COVID-19, your child must remain home, and you must follow the advice of your health provider.

All staff members will be expected to conduct daily self-assessments prior to entering our schools.

1. Hand washing: Students will have access to soap and water for use. Elementary students will be taught how to wash their hands properly and to try to avoid touching their face, eyes, nose and mouth as much as possible. There will be age-appropriate signage, designed by the WECHU, placed throughout the school to remind children to perform hand hygiene. A regular schedule for routine hand hygiene will be part of the day. Hand sanitizer will be provided in each classroom and common area.


2. Physical distancing: Maintaining two metre distance from others will be taught. We recognize that it may be difficult for some of our students who are younger or have special education needs. To encourage physical distancing and minimize transmission:
   • Students will be organized into smaller groups.
   • Classroom tables and chairs will be arranged differently.
   • The number of adults that interact with students throughout the day will be minimized.
   • Possible staggering of drop-off and pick-up times.
   • Recess/snack, lunch and class transition times may be staggered.
   • There will be arrows indicating hallway/staircase flow.
   • Large group gatherings and assemblies will be canceled.
   • Encourage more outside activities.
   • Eating lunch or snacks will be within the classroom or outside.


3. Coughing and sneezing etiquette: Coughing into a tissue and then safely disposing of it or coughing into sleeves will be stressed.


4. Staying home if student feels ill.


5. More guidance around the use of PPE in consultation with the Windsor Essex County Health Unit will be communicated.

Playground equipment and school tracks are currently not available for use. These will open when we receive notice that it is safe to do so from a public health perspective.

Masking

• Students in Grade 4 to 12 will be required to wear non-medical or cloth masks while in school.
• Students in Kindergarten to Grade 3 will be encouraged but not required to wear masks in common spaces.
• Medical masks will be provided for teachers and all other school staff.
• Reasonable exceptions to the requirement will be put in place by schools and school boards.

We will be limiting parents/guardians, volunteers, guests and others into our school until the risk of transmission is lower, and on advice of our Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.

A health and safety risk assessment are being completed for each of our schools to identify risks. Safety plans are being developed from the risk assessments to address/mitigate risks. The WECHU has been consulted and has approved our framework for risk assessments and processes. We will be enhancing our regular cleaning practices especially with high touch surfaces areas, such as doorknobs, water fountain knobs, light switches, toilet and faucet handles, electronic devices and tables, which will be disinfected at least twice a day. Porous materials, such as rugs, plush animals, will be removed. Learning materials will either be removed or disinfected after use.

Any student who starts to exhibit any symptoms of COVID-19 while attending class will be immediately moved into the school’s designated Health Waiting Area. Parents/guardians will be called and asked to pick up their child as soon as possible.

Board protocols are being developed, with guidance from WECHU, for dealing with students who present as ill during the school day.

We have staff who are dedicated to student mental health. At the classroom level, there will be materials and support for staff to use with their students.

We are anticipating that our programs will be a “grab and go” model, ensuring our social distancing measures are in place. We are working with our community partners to determine funding levels for 2020-2021.

Children take their cues from their parents/guardians. Being positive about the future, practicing good preventative strategies, and answering their questions honestly and openly will make for a smoother transition. We will share resources with families as they become available.

Yes. The Individual Education Plan outlines the student’s needs, accommodations and modifications. These plans will be followed.

The GECDSB is planning to offer regular, everyday timetabling plans for students who are in full day self-contained classrooms (GAINS and STEPS) except if we are in a remote (at-home) delivery model. More information will follow for families affected.

We are planning with Maryvale and New Beginnings that students will attend full day, every day except if we are in a remote (at-home) delivery model. We are having ongoing conversations with Regional Children’s Centre. More information will follow for families affected.