Students wearing face masks in the classroom. (© Can Stock Photo / halfpoint)Students wearing face masks in the classroom. (© Can Stock Photo / halfpoint)
Windsor

Windsor-Essex English boards welcome students back starting Thursday

The long wait for Windsor-Essex students, staff, and parents has ended.

Both of the region's English-language school boards begin to welcome children back on Thursday. The Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) and the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board (WECDSB) have scheduled staggered starts for students to minimize the risk of exposure or spread of COVID-19.

Traditionally in Ontario, all publicly-funded school boards begin fall classes on the day after Labour Day, but many boards have put off the first day for students to allow teachers and educational support staff extra time to prepare their facilities per provincial and local COVID-19 protocols.

The English public board has provided a calendar on its website to help students and parents keep track of when classes will begin for them. Students are divided into two groups by last name, with Group One consisting of last names beginning A through L, and Group Two with last names of M through Z.

The English Catholic board has also allowed for staggered starts. Elementary school students are staggered according to grade level and will be in-classroom on a full-time basis. Secondary students follow a hybrid of in-person and remote learning. Students and parents in the WECDSB are asked to review the back-to-school guidelines on its official website for the latest information and scheduling.

All Windsor-Essex school boards have been closed to in-person learning since the week before March Break due to the pandemic. Earlier this summer, the Ontario Ministry of Education had asked boards to provide plans for in-person learning, remote learning, and a hybrid of the two.

Additional screening and cleaning procedures have been put in place to ensure students, teachers, and staff are safe while in school.

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