What you need to know: How each Toronto-area school board is reopening classrooms

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TORONTO — Schools boards across the Greater Toronto Area scrambled to come up with back-to-school plans before students returned in September amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

CTV News Toronto has compiled a list of most of the new plans for boards in the region. Here is what you need to know:

Toronto District School Board

Start date: Staggered start on Sept. 15 for some students. Others will begin on Sept. 17.

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) was forced to go back to the drawing board after the province refused to approve its first back-to-school plan because it lacked in-class learning time and included a shortened day for elementary students that would allow teachers to use 48 minutes for preparation.

The board has now revised its plan and elementary students are expected to return to school full-time every day for in-person instruction. They will be required to remain with the same cohort throughout lunch and recess.

The TDSB has stated that it will dip into reserve funds to hire more teachers and find additional space to allow for the physical distancing of students.

High school students will be divided into cohorts that will alternate between in-person and at-home learning. They will attend school two to three days a week.

While one group is learning at school in the morning, the other group will learn from home. All students will learn from home during a live virtual learning session in the afternoons.

The board is also delaying the start of classes by one week. Students in all grades will have the choice to opt out of in-class learning.

Peel District School Board

Start date: Orientation begins Sept. 9, classes start for secondary students Sept.14 and elementary Sept. 16

The Peel District School Board said its reopening plans for September have been reviewed by the Ontario ministry of education and shared with staff and families.

Elementary students are expected to attend school in-person five days a week. The board says its students will remain with their classes to limit interactions even during lunch and recess.

Secondary students will take on some in-person and some distance learning instruction.

“They will attend school on an adapted schedule, with class cohorts of approximately 15 students, following a quadmester model,” the board stated on their website.

In-person attendance is voluntary for all students and families will have the option to choose to learn from home.

Students in Grades 1 to 12 will be required to wear a mask indoors. It will be strongly recommended for kindergarten students to wear one too, the board said.

The Halton Catholic District School Board

Start date: Orientation on Sept. 9, with a staggered start as of Sept. 10.

The Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) said its plan has been approved by the ministry of education and shared with families and staff.

Elementary students are expected to return to school five days a week for five hours per day. There will be regular class sizes with the students placed into groups with which they will remain during recess and lunch.

Secondary students will be in cohorts of approximately 15 students in each class attending on alternate days and classes will be taught using a combination of in-person and remote learning.

HCDSB said its students will be required to wear masks or face coverings at school unless there is a medical issue that makes it difficult to.

Families can choose to opt out of in-person learning. Online learning will be delivered through live session and pre-recorded classes.

Durham District School Board 

Start date: Elementary staggered start Sept. 8,

The Durham District School Board said its back-to-school plans are compliant with the ministry of education’s requirements and guidelines.

While elementary students are expected to attend school five days per week, they will be in groups for the full day, including for recess and lunch. The board said they will have access to staggered times for outdoor play.

The board said that while the ministry has not been clear on how much physical distancing is necessary between students, it will ensure that all students will be at least one metre apart.

Despite the province only making masks mandatory for students in Grades 4 to 12, the Durham Region School Board said it will “actively” ask all students to wear a mask unless they cannot due to a medical issue.

Secondary students will have both online and in-person learning. Students will be placed in cohorts of approximately 15 students and will attend school every other day and on alternate Fridays.

The board announced that elementary school students will only attend classes for a total of four days over the first two weeks of instruction as part of a staggered start to the academic year.

York Region District School Board 

Start date: Sept. 10, staggered start.

The York Region District School Board said the ministry of education has deemed its plans for elementary and secondary students are in compliance.

The board said it plans to stagger the start of the school year to allow students to learn routines and become familiar with their new learning environments.

High school students, who have opted to attend school in person, will be in class on alternating days in cohorts of 15 students.

These students will have 2.5 hours of in-class learning at the start of the school day, and three 50-minute periods of online learning in the afternoon.

Elementary students will attend school in person for five days a week for the full day with “increased health and safety measures.”

The board said it is continuing to look for options to reduce class sizes for in-person learning in elementary schools to ensure physical distancing is followed, but for now students will be returning to the traditional model.

Students in Grades 4 to 12 will be required to wear face coverings while students in Kindergarten to Grade 3 will be encouraged to wear masks.

Families of both secondary and elementary students can opt out of in-person learning and take all their classes online.

Toronto Catholic District School Board 

Start date: The board says it will be having a staggered start that will begin on Sept. 14.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) says its plan has been deemed in compliance with the ministry of education’s guidelines.

Schools that are a part of this board will take on a staggered entry plan over the first two weeks of schools for both elementary and secondary students.

Elementary students will be expected to attend school five days a week, with five hours of instruction per day and will remain in one cohort for the full day.

Secondary students will be expected to take on in-person learning at school in the morning with 15 people per class and then will continue their learning at home in the afternoon.

Families of both secondary and elementary students can opt out of in-person learning and take all their classes online.

The board said students of all ages will be required to wear a mask, which will be provided by the TCDSB. The board said there will be “reasonable exceptions for some students.”

Durham Catholic District School Board 

Start date: Orientation Sept. 8, in class on Sept. 14

The Durham Catholic District School Board said its plans for elementary and secondary students were seemed compliant by the ministry on Wednesday.

Elementary students will return to school five days a week for full days and will be placed into class cohorts.

Secondary students will be taught in cohorts of 15 students every other day. Students will take only two courses at a time, which will include both in-class and online learning.

The board says that students in Kindergarten to Grade 3 will be encouraged, but not required to wear masks in indoor spaces, but students in Grade 4 and up will be mandated to wear masks unless there is a medical issue.

Families of both secondary and elementary students can choose not to attend in-person learning and take all their classes online.

Halton District School Board 

Start date: Orientation begins on Sept. 10, start on Sept. 14

The Halton District School Board said its plan is in accordance with the ministry of education’s guidelines for the reopening of schools.

Elementary students with the board will be expected to return to the classroom five days a week for in-person learning. These students will be in class cohorts and are to adhere to physical distancing protocols, the board said.

Secondary students will take on two to three days a week of in-person learning during the morning combined with online learning in the afternoon.

On days students do not attend school in-person, they will learn from home. Both secondary and elementary students have the choice to opt out of in-person learning altogether.

The board says that students in Kindergarten to Grade 3 will be encouraged, but not required to wear masks in indoor spaces while students in Grade 4 and up will be mandated to wear masks unless there is a medical issue.

Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board 

Start date: Staggered start on Sept. 9.

The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board said its plans have been deemed compliant by the ministry of education, but they may be revised as the board considers a staggered start to the school year.

Elementary students with the board will return to class for five days a week for 6.5 hours per day. They will have two recesses and a lunch daily and will have the opportunity to go outside.

Secondary students will be expected to attend school two to three days a week for the morning period and spend all afternoons and the remaining days learning at home. Class sizes for those at school will be limited to 15 people.

Students from Grades 4 and up will be required to wear a face covering inside the school, while students below Grade 3 will be encouraged to wear one.

Both secondary and elementary students have the option to opt out of in-class learning and complete all their studies remotely.

York Catholic District School Board

Start day: Staggered start as of Sept. 10.

The York Catholic District School Board said its plans have been deemed compliant by the ministry of education.

Elementary students with the board will attend school five days per week with one cohort for the full day, including lunch.

Secondary students will have an adapted model with class cohorts of about 15 people attending in-person classes on alternate days.

Students from kindergarten to Grade 3 will be encouraged to wear a mask while at school, the board said, while students in Grade 4 an up must wear masks when arriving at school.

Both secondary and elementary students have the option to opt out of in-class learning and complete all their studies remotely.

These are the start dates in other public Ontario school boards:

September 3

September 8

September 9

September 14

September 15