School District No. 46 (SD46) is expanding its options for students this fall in response to parents grappling with B.C.’s provincially-mandated back-to-school plan.
The district has outlined three options for parents to consider if they want to keep their children at home: home-schooling, a new distance-learning program and a new “transition option” that would allow for an extended absence.
In an interview with Coast Reporter, SD46 superintendent Patrick Bocking said the transition option in particular is intended to support families “who just aren’t quite comfortable yet” returning to school because of the pandemic.
To that end, parents and caregivers will have the unique option of keeping their children home for a portion of the school year. Parents would still register their children, but would inform their principal of the student’s absence.
Bocking described the option as similar to instances where children must take extended absences for travel or illness. The district is developing information packages with learning resources tailored to each grade level. Students would be expected to pass to the next grade, assuming “things go well at that home learning environment.”
In this case, parents would have the option of putting their children back into the classroom as long as space is available and at a predetermined time.
Another new option is a distance-learning program – separate from the district’s SPIDER distributed learning program – that will allow students to stay home for the year.
Parents can register their children, who will receive support from teachers assigned to the program.
It’s not clear yet whether a cap will be placed on the number of students allowed in the program, but that could be determined through a survey distributed this week to parents to assess the demand for the various options.
“I don’t have a limit right now in mind, but what I do have is a budget,” said Bocking of the distance-learning program. He said staffing will also be affected by the number of students interested in enrolling.
“Right now I’m employing virtually all my teachers into classrooms and other roles and so I don’t have more opportunities to expand the program if we don’t have the resources to pay them.”
The third option for students is home-schooling, which operates outside of the provincial educational system. As a result, home-schoolers aren’t eligible for B.C.’s Dogwood graduation certificate.
Despite these options, Bocking said the original one – in-class instruction – remains the district’s priority. “We’ve made absolutely sure with the Ministry of Health and Vancouver Coastal Health that these are safe places,” he said.
But not all parents are convinced. About a dozen parents told Coast Reporter they had concerns with the return to school, with many worried about the increased risk of exposure to COVID-19. Most favoured adding distance-learning options.
Several had already attempted to register their children for the school district’s distributed learning program, SPIDER, but said they were already facing wait lists. Bocking confirmed there has been an increase in enrolment requests compared to other years, but “due to limited staffing and the special nature of this program, we are not looking to expand it.”
Instead, the distance-learning option would be available. Because of staffing, parents would be expected to commit to a full year.
A survey conducted by the district last June found that parents were challenged with at-home learning, said Bocking. “There were real struggles there. Families had mental health issues and just family dynamics that were sometimes very hard to work through.
“The safety of kids not coming to school is a part of the ministry thinking of getting back to school,” he said. “The medical health professionals who have been guiding us all along are saying that this is the best way to move forward.”
A ministry-approved health and safety plan for SD46 was scheduled for release on Wednesday as well as a letter to parents with details about program options.
Bocking said principals will be organizing classrooms anticipating a full return.
