Some students are heading back to in-class instruction next week, while others are reverting to online instruction following a change in COVID alert levels effective this weekend.
Education Minister Tom Osborne today announced that starting Thursday, March 18, all students in the K-9 system on the Avalon Peninsula will return to in-class instruction.
Students in Grades 4 to 9 will be required to wear a mask for the full school day, while those in lower grade levels will be encouraged to do so.
Teachers will be required to wear a medical mask and face shield or goggles.
Next tuesday and wednesday will be used as "transition days" for teachers to prepare for thursday. However, online learning is expected to continue, but Tony Stack cautions it might not be as "robust" as teachers prepare for that transition @VOCMNEWS
— Richard Duggan (@RDugganVOCM) March 11, 2021
High School students on the Avalon will be able to continue with online learning, while those who recently moved to “Scenario 2” a blend of online and in-class instruction, will revert back to online learning.
That will be re-evaluated after Easter in consultation with Public Health.
Osborne says in-person full-time instruction is not possible right now for high school students. High school students are not cohorts with the same consistent group of classmates throughout the day.
In some smaller schools where cohorts and two-meter distancing is possible, then in-class instruction may be possible for high school students.
NLTA Applauds Return to Online Learning, Questions Cohorts
The NLTA is pleased to see a return to online learning for high school students in the province.
President Dean Ingram says officials have recognized the physical distancing challenges faced in a high school learning environment. He calls it a good move because teachers don’t want high school students to lose instructional time, or fall behind their peers in other parts of the country especially as they seek post-secondary and scholarship opportunities.
Teachers still have serious concerns however about the reliance on cohorting as a safety measure in grades K to 9.
Ingram says in many schools, student cohorting cannot be maintained consistently, as staff regularly move between student groups.
The union is calling for similar protection levels to be implemented for students and teachers that it says are expected in other community interactions.
View information on today’s update via the NL English School District.
In Avalon Region:
- All K-9 students will begin full-time in-class instruction under Scenario 1 (near normal) on Thursday, March 18, with recently-updated health and safety protocols in place. These students will remain within their class cohorts throughout the school day.
- All high schools will continue to operate under Scenario 3 (full-time online instruction), with the exception of a small number of schools which can operate under Scenario 1, as students are able to cohort within a small school population.
In Labrador, Western and Central Regions:
- All K-9 students will continue in-class instruction within their schools.
- Schools with high school grades which can operate in Scenario 1 will continue to do so.
- All schools previously identified as operating in Scenario 2 (blended in-class instruction/at-home learning) will revert to Scenario 3 (full-time online instruction), on Thursday, March 18.
