All Halton Catholic students must wear masks
The Halton Catholic District School Board released its much-anticipated Return to School plan on Wednesday night.
Among the more surprising points in the documents was the revelation that the Board of Trustees, at its special meeting held Aug. 19, passed a motion "that all HCDSB students (kindergarten to Grade 12) be required to wear non-medical masks/face coverings at school."
Reasonable exceptions to this requirement will be put in place, according to the plan, and the Board is working with Halton Region Public Health to provide "age-appropriate mask education/information for families."
Reasonable exceptions to mask wearing will be considered, including:
A pre-existing medical condition (e.g., asthma)
A diagnosis or learning profile that would limit a student's ability to tolerate or safely wear a mask, including whereby a mask would effect essential communication for a person who is hearing impaired
A mental health diagnosis
Other, as detailed by a health care practitioner.
For students returning to elementary school for conventional learning, parents must screen them daily for COVID-19 symptoms before leaving for school, using the COVID-19 Self-Assessment.
Students or staff with symptoms before the school day begins should stay at home, self-isolate (household members, including siblings, must also self-isolate), be referred for testing for COVID-19, stay home from school until test results are received
Students or staff with symptoms DURING the school day must go home immediately and, if they cannot return home immediately, they must be isolated in a designated room/space until their departure, according to the plan.
"Each school and Board site will have a designated isolation area for staff/students/visitors who have signs/symptoms of COVID-19 and are waiting transportation home," the plan states.
For elementary school students returning to school for conventional learning, the week will consist of five days with 300 minutes of instruction per day and "regular class size," with the students cohorted as a group (including recess and lunch).
Families who opt to keep their children home for remote learning will have opportunities to rejoin conventional, in-class learning at three points during the school year - Thanksgiving, after Christmas and after March break
The process to request a return to in-school instruction will be provided in September.
For elementary students not returning to school for conventional learning, the remote delivery model will involve students possibly being assigned to virtual classrooms for distance learning and students receiving 300 minutes of learning daily with a combination of synchronous and asynchronous opportunities.
"Teachers will support students in large and small group instruction throughout the day," the plan states.
Physical distancing strategies that will be incorporated in school include:
Increased physical distance of chairs and tables/desks in all rooms (including cafeteria, library, staff areas)
Classes will be held outside as much as possible, when weather permits.
Student desks will be arranged with as much distancing as possible and facing in the same direction.
Staggered periods of student movement around school and students will be discouraged from congregating in hallways.