LAKELAND – Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS) has released their school re-entry plan, giving parents and students three learning options to choose from for the 2020/21 school year.
NLPS created three, what they're calling, 'Learning Pathways' for students: in-person classes at school, at-home teacher-directed learning, and an independent home education program.
After Alberta Education announced in July that students would be able to return to school in September, with health restrictions in place, the division gathered feedback from parents and students on what they would like to see. The three options were created as responses showed a high interest in out-of-class learning.
While students will have the option to return to in-class learning at their school, they could also choose to learn from their teacher at home.
“We’ve created what we’re calling Learning Together Anywhere, which gives parents the option of having their children at home with them and the student will participate in the same instruction and learning activities that they would if they were in the classroom,” explained NLPS communications officer Nicole Garner. “They’re connecting with a teacher online and other students are participating in that program online and they're completing assignments that are similar to what they would do in the classroom but they’re at home.”
The Learning Together Anywhere program is set-up for students going in to Kindergarten to Grade 9. High school students who don't want to return to in-person classes are advised to contact their local outreach school to discuss a learning plan.
For parents who want to take the lead on their children's education, a third option, being called Learning Independently, is available.
Through this pathway, a home education program is available in partnership with a Northern Lights school and parents will be required to take responsibility for educating their child.
According to the Learning Pathways documents released by the division, programming for all three options will be provided "in accordance with Alberta Education requirements, including hours of instruction, expected learning outcomes, and assessment."
For students who choose to return to in-class learning, NLPS will be implementing a staggered entry. Fifty per cent of students will start school on Tuesday, Sept. 1 and won't attend school on Wednesday. The remaining students will start on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
All students in grades one to 12 will be at school together starting Thursday, Sept. 3.
“It gives us some time to work out some of the kinks, especially since we’re going to have new rules for things like drop off and pick up,” Garner said. “That first start up in September can sometimes be really chaotic with kids learning new routines and starting at new schools and maybe not everyone having an idea of what all the procedures and stuff are in a regular year. Doing the staggered entry just helps us, and we’re able to fine tune some of that by keeping our numbers low for those two days.”
Numerous protocols will be in place to keep students and staff safe at school, including a daily screening questionnaire that must be completed by students, staff, and visitors before going to a school.
The plan also includes hygiene requirements that will be implemented, including the need to "perform hand hygiene" when entering and exiting schools. Hand sanitizing stations will be placed at all entrances and exits, classroom entrances, and high-touch areas.
All staff and Grade 4 to 12 students will be required to wear masks in common areas, such as hallways, buses, and areas where physical distancing can't be maintained. Mask use is Kindergarten to Grade 3 is optional, and exemptions will be made for "individuals who are unable to wear masks due to medical needs," states the plan.
School facilities will have a thorough clean before everyone comes back and items that cannot be easily cleaned, such as area rugs and soft furnishings, will be removed and stored.
High contact areas will be wiped down regularly, including water fountains, washrooms, shared equipment, auxiliary spaces, among others. Students will be encouraged to bring water bottles rather than using fountains, but they will remain available for those who need them.
Gymnasiums may be used to deliver physical education programming and teachers are encouraged to choose activities or sports that support physical distancing.
Bussing
According the document from NLPS, students riding the bus will be assigned seats and those who live in the same household should be seated together.
Grades 4 to 12 students are required to wear masks on the bus, however, Kindergarten to Grade 3 students riding the bus are "strongly encouraged" to wear a mask.
There will be increased cleaning and disinfecting of high-touch surfaces prior to each bus run, and procedures will be developed for unloading, loading, and transfers to support physical distancing.
While NLPS has developed a division-wide plan for learning, and common protocols for health and safety, Garner noted they're still working on pinning down the final details on a school-by-school basis.
“There are still things that need to be determined at the school level that might look slightly different from school-to-school, like what happens at morning drop off, afternoon pick up, and so on. The schools are still going to have to figure out some of those pieces and they’re going to be working on them next week when our administrators come back,” detailed Garner.
The full NLPS re-entry plan and Learning Pathways Guide is available on the NLPS website.
