For the first time ever, parents of French-immersion students within the Thames Valley District school board are getting to choose between in-person or online learning for their children.
The chance to select a preferred learning method comes a week after the school board stated French-immersion would only be offered in-person come September.
“We listened to parents and guardians and the board wants to explore the feasibility of making French-immersion available to full-remote learners in the fall,” said Education Director Mark Fisher.
Staffing concerns and low enrolment this year had left the board hesitant to offer full-remote French-immersion this fall.
“If there is enough interest, the board will do its best to offer French-immersion as a full-remote learning option for students based on expressions of interest and staffing availability,” added Fisher.
The school board is giving families until May 13 to make their decision. Interest in French-immersion can be indicated by accessing the Declaration of Learning Model form on the Thames Valley parent portal site. Parents who have already completed the form, but want to change it to express interest in full-remote French-immersion can revisit the portal.