Back to school or online learning? Decision time for Simcoe County parents

Return to school decision time While parents make the tough decision about sending their child back to school, CTV's Mike Arsalides reports on what school boards are doing.

Barrie, Ont. — It's decision day for Simcoe County parents who need to let the school board know whether they will send their kids back to class or continue online learning.

With just three weeks until the start of the school year, the pre-registration survey deadline has come and gone.

The Catholic board reports 80 per cent of its parents have completed the survey, meaning thousands of families are still struggling with what to do.

"I think a lot of them don't have a choice because they have to go back to work, and daycare is expensive," said Barrie mom Drew Palmer.

Stephanie Tosky said it was an easy decision to send her daughter back. "She misses school. She misses the social aspect of it all, and all of her friends at school."

"I work as a nurse, so I have to be at work, and I'm a single mom, so I need her to be at school," Tosky added.

Many parents point to the benefits of in-person learning versus distance online learning from home.

"They need all that. They also need their buddies at school, so for us, it was fairly easy to make that decision to send them back," said mom Coryelle Fram.

Early numbers from The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic School Board (SMCDSB) report that between 10 and 15 per cent of its 22,000 students will remain at home.

SMCDSB Director of Education Catherine McCullough said they are creating an online school for both elementary and secondary students. "We are creating a virtual school. We will have a principal head up that virtual school."

Schools are now being thoroughly cleaned, inspected and prepped for day one on September 8.

"We believe our kids need to be back to school. Anything that you know about social and emotional learning and student mental health, we would embrace and welcome our kids back to school," McCullough added.

The Catholic school board has extended its deadline to complete the survey by one week while the Simcoe County District School Board will reach out to parents who have yet to submit it.