Students in the public school board will be heading back to the classroom a little later than expected.
District School Board Ontario North East students were scheduled to start a staggered re-entry this Thursday, Sept. 3. The start dates have been pushed back to next week.
"Our personal protective equipment (PPE) orders have not arrived at all of our schools. Additionally, the North East Tri-Board Student Transportation consortium is working very hard to combine routes due to a driver shortage. The decision to adopt a further gradual return to school was made to ensure the safety of students and staff," reads a DSB1 letter to families.
The new schedule for elementary schools is:
• Thursday, Sept. 3 and Friday, Sept. 4 - Students in high support classes will go to school. Teachers will reach out to all other students via telephone or email.
• Tuesday, Sept. 8 - For schools doing a staggered entry, students with the last names A to H will attend school. All students at Clayton Brown Public School, Diamond Jubllee Public School, Elk Lake Public School, Kerns Public School, Smooth Rock Falls Public School and Temagami Public School will be in class.
• Wednesday, Sept. 9 - Students with last names A to P will be in class.
• Thursday, Sept. 10 - All elementary students will be in school.
For secondary students, schools are creating their own gradual staggered entry plan.
"Your child's school will communicate this information with you via email, on their school websites and social media platforms," reads the letter to high school families.
According to the letter, schools are doing site-specific re-entry plans in addition to the school board's detailed plan. Schools will share the individual plans by Sept. 4 on thier website.
As students get ready to head back to the classroom, last week about 14 per cent of DSB1 students had opted for distance learning.
At the Northeastern Catholic District School Board (NCDSB), about 20 per cent of the elementary student body has chosen virtual learning.
NCDSB schools are slated to begin heading back to school next week.
The schedule for elementary schools in the Catholic board is:
• Tuesday, Sept. 8 - students with the last name A - H
• Wednesday, Sept. 9 - students with the last name I - P
• Thursday, Sept. 10 - students with the last name Q - Z
• Friday, Sept. 11 - all students in school
The only exception is Bishop Belleau School in Moosonee.
At O'Gorman High School, only Grade 9 and 10 students will attend school Sept. 8 and Sept. 9. All students from Grade 9 to 12 will be in the classroom Sept. 10.
