Shomporko Desk:-The provincial Ministry of Education has rejected Toronto District School Board (TDSB) proposals for reopening both elementary and secondary schools, claiming plans for both don’t give students enough time in class.
The dismissal implies guardians despite everything don’t have a clue about the specific size of their children’s classes or how or when the school day will begin or end – with three weeks left before the planned beginning of the school year.
TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird said the Ontario government disagreed with the board’s plan to diminish the normal size of classrooms to 15 students for kindergarten to grade three, and 20 students for grades four to eight, which would have seen the board enlist 200 additional teachers at an expense of $20 million.
Ending the elementary school day 48 minutes earlier was cited as the most affordable way to decrease class sizes and increase physical distancing, as teachers’ prep time was moved earlier into the school day.
The Ford government also refused to approve the TDSB’s plans for a “quad master” high school year, saying it did not give students a minimum of 50 per cent of the school week physically in class.
The ministry informed the TDSB of its refusal in a memo submitted to the board on Aug. 14.
In a statement, the Ministry of Education spokesperson Caitlin Clark said the rejection was largely due to the school board moving prep time into what was traditionally considered part of the school day.
The province’s original $309 million school reopening plan includes plans for a “hybrid” of in-person and online learning at the high school level, as well as some funds for the hiring of public health nurses and additional custodians.
But parents and school boards have criticized the plan’s lack of physical distancing standards in the elementary grades, something called for in multiple reports published by the province’s leading epidemiologists and pediatricians.
In response, Education Minister Stephen Lecce authorized boards to dip into their reserve funds to hire more teachers to increase physical distancing, and granted $50 million to upgrade ventilation systems in schools.
Photo credit: skynesher / IStock.com
News source: CP24
