The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board is going full-steam ahead with its plans for September.
The English-language board has stated that it fully expects to have almost its entire enrollment back in the classroom next month after students who were learning virtually were allowed to decide whether to continue that arrangement or return to in-person classes.
The Ontario Ministry of Education has required all school boards to offer a remote learning option to parents who may not be comfortable sending their kids back to a regular school setting. However, WECDSB spokesman Stephen Fields told WindsorNewsToday.ca that almost all of the board's thousands of students will be back.
"I can tell you that as of [Tuesday], we have fewer than 50 students enrolled in virtual learning for this September," said Fields. "Our total enrollment last year was more than 20,000 students."
Fields said the board began offering parents the virtual option in April.
"We sent an email to all parents describing what the differences would be between our virtual learning model and our in-person model, and provided those parents whose children were still learning remotely with declaration forms they were required to submit to inform us whether their children would be continuing with virtual learning, or if they would be coming back to in-person learning," said Fields.
Additional reminder messages were sent to parents throughout the spring and summer. Fields added that if students were attending live, in-person classes and wanted to continue, they were all set.
Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced last month that the province was planning to open schools, on time, for complete in-person learning, after periodic shifts to virtual classes occurred since the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, the Greater Essex County District School Board has given parents of virtual-learning students until Friday to complete a survey on whether to continue that method for the coming year.
The new school year begins Tuesday, September 6.
