New Westminster families will soon be hearing from their school principals with more details about the planned return to in-class instruction in B.C.
Students in B.C. have been out of class since March break, when the province suspended in-class instruction indefinitely in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, Premier John Horgan announced B.C.’s restart plan, including a phased-in return to in-class instruction.
New Westminster school district superintendent Karim Hachlaf reached out to families with an email letter on Thursday.
“We have subsequently been in contact with the Ministry of Education. I have connected with superintendents from other school districts and have already started to engage our teams in the process of building our plan to meet the direction we’ve now been given,” the letter says.
Currently, B.C. school districts are operating at what’s being called Stage 4 of the education plan. At this stage, most children in New Westminster (and around B.C.) are learning from home, with remote guidance from their teachers. In-class child care and learning is being made available for the children of essential service workers and some vulnerable students; the New West district currently has child care/learning centres set up in six schools.
Hachlaf’s letter notes the province is now eyeing a move into Stage 3 by no later than the beginning of June. In this stage, remote learning will continue for most students, with an optional, part-time return to in-class instruction. As the Ministry of Education defines it, that means in-class options for kindergarten to Grade 5 students on a part-time basis, and access to in-class learning as needed for grades 6 to 12, also on a part-time basis.
What exactly that will look like in New West is currently in discussion by the district.
“The safety of our kids, staff and families will continue to be our top priority,” Hachlaf’s letter says. “We’re looking at how we’ll ensure safe distancing in schools, how we might increase our already adjusted cleaning and disinfecting schedules, what this will mean for teaching and staff assignments and much more.”
Principals will be contacting families with details of a plan and a survey. Families will be given specifics of hours, days and expectations so they can decide whether to continue with a modified version of remote learning or if their children will head back to some form of in-class instruction.
“We understand and respect that the needs of every family and every student are different. And we know it’s not just your child’s educational needs that you’re juggling. No matter which option you pursue, your child will be afforded equal opportunities to receive support through this new phase,” Hachlaf wrote.
The Record will update details about the return to in-class instruction as they become available.
Watch for more information after the May 12 school board operations policy and planning committee meeting. See https://newwestschools.ca/our-board/meeting-agendas-minutes-motions/ for a link to the meeting, which is publicly accessible by Webex.
