Class is back on for elementary and secondary schools, despite the extended lockdown.
Lakehead Public Schools Superintendent of Education AJ Keene says things will look the same as before the winter break, with high school students in class in the morning and online in the afternoons.
“In elementary school, it means we will go back to our regular full days for all of those students who are currently signed up to learn in-person. The students who are in our virtual schools will remain so,” Keene explains.
Keene says while the lockdown forced them to scrap a lot of preparation, it shouldn’t present any problems.
“It was quite a lot of work to do for what turned out to be a short four days, but obviously we understand why the Ministry put that requirement in, since Southern Ontario had to extend their virtual learning,” he says.
“Our protocols around infection prevention and control are very stringent, even more stringent than what the Ministry recommends,” Keene points out. “We will continue to keep those in place as they were before the holiday break.”
As for objections to students returning to in-person learning while the rest of the province is under lockdown, Keene says he understands those concerns, but the public board hasn’t had any COVID-19 transmission despite several cases at its schools.
