Navigating the 2020-2021 School Year

Our Navigating the 2020-2021 School Year was posted on June 29 and is regularly updated. Here are some of the highlights:  

• Level 1: In-class learning will resume on Sept. 8, for all students. (see page 15 in Manitoba's K-12 Guidelines for September 2020). 
  

• One of the most effective measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 is to ensure a two-metre (six feet) physical distance between individuals and the use of physical barriers. 
  
• All 40 schools have effectively implemented  two-meters (six feet) of physical distancing between students and the use of cohorts for all students and staff in Kindergarten to Grade 12.
• In Kindergarten to Grade 8, students have returned for five days of in-class instruction per week.  
• In grades 9 to 12, students have returned to daily in-class instruction in the morning or afternoon. 
• Students with special needs in all grades have returned for five days of in-class instruction (full instructional day) per week, with physical distancing requirements and care for students with complex needs requirements being followed.
  
• Cohorts involve keeping groups of students (and staff) together and avoiding interactions with other groups (called cohorts). Ideally, students and staff are in one cohort. The more cohorts you have defeats the purpose of a cohort. 
  
• Schools will keep students and staff together with the same cohort throughout the day, including lunch breaks, recesses and other non-instructional time.  
• Schools will stagger schedules and movement of cohorts to avoid being in shared spaces such as foyers or hallways at the same time. 
• To avoid the movement of classes and cohorts of students whenever possible and the co-mingling of classes and cohorts, the following is being reviewed 
  
• locations of classrooms,  
• use of all spaces in a school, and  
• timetabling.
  

Physical distancing is not enough (no one measure is enough). We need to implement a multi-layered approach that includes multiple measures: 

• It starts with: Staying at home when sick! 
• Staff will screen for symptoms to identify any potential cases of COVID-19 as quickly as possible before exposure to others.  
• Signage, with exclusion criteria, will be posted at all entrances. 
  
• Clear and consistent symptom and exposure screening protocols will occur at the start of each day in all 40 schools. 

• Visitor access will be minimized to the greatest extent possible.  
• Community use of schools will be suspended, except for childcare centres operating in schools. 
• Schools will have a supply of non-medical disposable masks available for students and staff who forget to bring their own reusable mask. 
• The use of non-medical masks is recommended in situations where a person cannot maintain a two-metre physical distance for extended periods of time and is in close proximity to a person outside of their regular contacts.
  
• The bus driver and all school bus passengers are required to wear a non-medical mask on the bus. Masks should be put on before getting onto the school bus and taken off after disembarking, if appropriate for the environment.
  

For a comprehensive understanding of our ever-evolving plan and its multiple dimensions, you can go to the Table of Contents below.  

The information outlined below is LRSD's comprehensive and up-to-date approach to navigating the upcoming school year. 

Christian Michalik, Superintendent 

Introduction

School Attendance

School Calendar

Opening Day Conferences

• All Kindergarten to Grade 8 students and students with special needs will return to in-class learning 5 days per week.
• LRSD K-8 school principals communicated details with their communities regarding a staggered entry, class lists, school supplies and other school specific information.
  
• Grades 9 to 12 students will be in-class to the greatest extent possible. Blended learning for high school students may vary from school to school.
• In LRSD, all high school students will participate in learning at school for a minimum of 50 per cent of their scheduled time and will be working independently at home for the remaining time.
• Routines, skills, and relationships will be built for both together and independent learning. 
  
• Students will attend school every day for half of the day on a two-day rotating schedule.*
  
  
  *We are aware of the logistical issues regarding public transportation for some families in the Sage Creek, Royalwood and Southland Park neighbourhoods and are actively working to solve the problem to ensure a smooth return to school for all of our learners. We will provide updates as soon as they are made available to us. Please reach out to your school principal if you have any questions or concerns.
  
• In order to implement this public health directive, minimal relocation was required of staff and students from schools that have high occupancy to nearby schools that have low occupancy.
  
• All families and staff that have been affected by this proposed relocation have been notified. We are now listening to any and all concerns of affected families and staff. If you have a question or concern regarding the relocation of your child, please reach out to your school’s principal.
  

• K-8 students and students with special needs are prioritized for in-class learning.
• Grades 9 to 12 will participate in teacher-led remote learning, with limited use of school facilities for specific programming and assessment. 

These two concepts will also require us to reimagine several new realities:

• the use of all spaces in relationship to smaller groupings of students 
  
• teachers and educational assistants in relationship to smaller groupings of students
  
• the design and delivery of curricula in relationship to smaller groupings and cohorting of these groups, especially in Grades 9 to 12
  
• the design and delivery of curricula to accommodate Blended Learning (in-class and remote)
  
• the relationship of scheduling and timetabling in relationship to cohorting and Blended Learning
  

We use the words 'group' and 'cohort' rather than 'classroom' purposely. For all three levels of response, one of our new realities will be to manage the circulation and interaction of students and staff in K-12 outside of their cohort and to consider all available spaces for these small learning groups and larger cohorts when they come together in a school. 

• Cohorts involve keeping groups of students (e.g. classes) together and avoiding interactions with other groups. 
• Physical distancing within the cohort is required to the greatest extent possible, including separation between desks. However, it is recognized that strict physical distancing at all times, particularly with young children, is not practical in the school setting. 
• The purpose of cohorts is to limit the mixing of students and staff so that if a child or employee develops an infection, there are fewer possible exposures and contact tracing can be more easily done.
• There is no limit on the number of cohorts, as long as distinct cohorts can be separated to prevent contact with other groups. 
• Each cohort must be able to arrive, depart, and participate in school activities without co-mingling as much as possible with members from other cohorts.
• Whenever possible, keep children and staff together with the same cohort throughout the day, including lunch breaks and recesses. 
• Locations of classrooms, use of additional space and timetabling by cohorts can all be considered to reduce mixing. 
• Stagger schedules and movement of cohorts to avoid being in shared spaces (e.g., foyers, hallways) at the same time. 
• Avoid the movement of classes of students where possible. It is preferable that teachers move between classrooms instead of students. 
• Keep daily records that include the names of students, staff, and volunteers of cohorts.
  

• Two metres of physical distancing is required, to the greatest extent possible. When this is not possible (and it is not possible in many of our schools), students must remain within cohorts to reduce exposure to others. Cohorts (designated groups of students) will distance themselves from other groups to limit exposure. In these instances, there must be at least one metre between students as they sit at their desks.
• Install signage outlining physical distancing protocols and floor markings where any lines may form, both inside and outside the facility.
• Where possible, arrange spaces and schedules to encourage the recommended separation. A thorough audit of instructional and non-instructional spaces was completed in July and August to assist with the design of smaller learning groups and cohorts in all 40 schools.
• Signage will be in place to promote recommended physical distancing and provide visual prompts for students and staff.
• Physical barriers, where appropriate, are also an option when physical distancing is not possible. 
• Additional cleaning and disinfecting of any barriers or dividers will be required. 
• Be outdoors as much as possible. Promote individual activity to minimize contact. We are studying the design of curricula, instructional approaches and infrastructure to leverage the outdoor environments in our school communities.   
  
• Contact sports and games, or the use of shared equipment, is strongly discouraged. 

Given the size of many of our school populations and the overcrowding in many of our schools (most of our French Immersion Schools), the temporary relocation of learning cohorts to other schools and community buildings is necessary in order to safely accommodate the greatest number of students.  

Creating and nurturing a sense of community for each of these cohorts in September will be essential to ensure that students and staff thrive in 2020-2021.

School Attendance

The Manitoba government has communicated that unless an underlying health condition prevents a student from being at school, regular attendance is mandatory. 

The Manitoba government's back-to-school plan does state that "Arrangements will be needed for students, teachers, administrators and school staff who may be at higher risk of COVID-19 due to underlying health conditions or other risk factors. Division-level remote learning will be in place for students who are medically advised not to return to in-class learning due to COVID-related risk factors. These situations should be rare and limited to children with compromised immune systems or other medical conditions that increase their risk. Parents and caregivers must consult with physicians on the need for an accommodation."

All students are expected to fully participate in their education instruction, even when remote learning is required. Students will be assessed on their work, reflective of their performance and learning. School divisions and schools will ensure that all students who are participating in remote learning have access to technology (see page 4 of Manitoba's back-to-school plan). We have made additional investments in mobile technologies to support learners and teachers in 2020-2021. We will share the details of these investments in late August.

School Calendar

Opening Day Conferences

Institutional Preparedness

• Preparing school facilities to accommodate physical distancing, including increased sanitation, hand hygiene and other public health provisions. 
• Following the guidelines for re-opening school facilities. These will be updated regularly to reflect new public health orders and guidance. 
  
• Posting information about physical distancing, cleaning, and other public health measures to help schools prepare for in-class learning.
• Planning for adjustments to transportation routes and schedules for all stages of re-opening, including asking parents to transport their own children where possible.
  

The following paragraphs detail specific measures that LRSD will implement to achieve these goals.

Health and Safety of our Community

According to Manitoba Education, "current evidence indicates that staff and students can return to school while protecting individual health and minimizing risks from a public health perspective."

As schools plan for the return of staff and students, a balanced focus on maximizing people's health and well-being while mitigating risk is our paramount goal.

Contact Tracing

• The principal will immediately advise their liaise assistant superintendent.
• The liaise assistant superintendent will advise assistant superintendent Marlene Murray.
• Assistant superintendent Marlene Murray will contact public health officials, seek advice, and collaborate with divisional and school colleagues to implement the recommendations of public health officials.
  

• record student attendance in school and on buses regularly and accurately 
• maintain a log of all visitors and itinerant employees that access the building
• keep groups of students (regular classes in the Level 1 response and smaller cohorts in Level 2 together and avoid interactions between groups) - If there is a case of infection in a school, this practice can help with contact tracing, but also limit potential exposures and drastically reduce the potential number of exposed staff and students.

Safety and Health Protocols

LRSD has developed Safe Work Procedures to ensure the safety and health of staff, students, and other community members that access divisional facilities. These procedures are continually reassessed and revised in light of public health orders and guidance. Staff must ensure that they are aware of the most current Safe Work Procedures and that they are adhered to at all times.

• COVID-19 General Info
• COVID-19 General Info Lifespan
  
• Employee Right to Refuse Work Procedure
  
• Safe Work Desktop Technician PU and Delivery
• Safe Work for Visitors to LRSD Schools and Facilities
  
• Safe Work General Cleaning and Disinfecting
  
• Safe Work Procedure Screening Questions
• Safe Work WSH Building Inspection
  
• Safe Work Staff Entry into LRSD School Facilities
  
• Safe Work Applying and Removing Face Masks
  
• Safe Work Signs or Symptoms in Students or Staff COVID-19
  
• Safe Work Hand Hygiene Practices COVID-19 
  
• Safe Work Bus Driver Pick-up and Drop-off of Students COVID-19
  
• Safe Work ATC Salon Staff and Student Protocol COVID-19
  
• Safe Work Student Requiring Close Proximity and Assistance COVID-19 
  

Mental Health and Well-being

• be active
• be positive
• be social 
  

• be curious
  
• be purposeful
  
• be mindful

• Awareness of the impact of this pandemic on all students and families
• Understanding of possible struggles students may experience upon a return to school
• Strategies to mitigate the impact on the well-being of the pandemic and support resilience and well-being for the transition back to school
  

Masks Protocols

Transportation

Practical Arts

To avoid the mingling of school populations and to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission, transportation of students from one school to a different school in the division to attend Practical Arts has been suspended indefinitely. Practical Arts teachers will collaborate with grade-level teachers to support project-based learning in home schools. 

Music Programming

We are diligently working on redesigning spaces in all 40 Louis Riel School Division (LRSD) schools to ensure two-metres (six feet) of physical distancing for all students and all staff in kindergarten to Grade 12 when in learning groups. This means that music rooms in some schools will need to be reallocated for classroom instruction.  

In schools where a dedicated music room is not available, the teaching of music outcomes will be integrated into instruction by grade level teaching teams. 

The Music Specialist may support this integration if not required to directly support a different cohort of students. This will vary depending on local school needs.  

As part of Restoring Safe Services: Phase Two, choirs or musical theatre activities are not allowed due to a higher risk of transmission through singing compared to speaking. Infected people may transmit the virus over greater distances through their saliva or respiratory droplets while singing and when playing certain instruments such as wind or brass instruments. As the evidence for assessing the risk of these activities is still not well understood, these guidelines have been established to guide vocalists and instrumentalists in taking measures to protect themselves and others. 

Physical Education

Re-Opening and Schooling Scenarios

Rethinking Spaces in Schools

• Schools will need to implement strategies to avoid crowding in hallways, entrances and other non-instructional spaces. 
• Schools will need to limit nonessential visitors and stagger drop-offs, pick-ups, class times and breaks to the greatest extent possible. 
• Schools will not schedule assemblies and gatherings that exceed public health advice.

Manitoba Education recommends keeping groups of students together (known as cohorting), and preventing circulation and exposure between cohorts whenever possible to limit exposure to and spread of COVID-19 while pandemic restrictions are in effect. 

• Teacher-directed remote learning will be an essential component of K-12 education throughout the pandemic.
• Asynchronous (working independently on their own) and synchronous (working with a teacher in real-time) options will need to be refined. 
• Remote and blended in-class and remote learning plans may need to be implemented on short notice.
• Remote learning plans will also need to be developed for students with underlying health conditions that prohibit them from returning to in-class learning (before broad access to a vaccine) and students in 14-day quarantine or isolation. 
  

LRSD will continue to:

• monitor students that require support to obtain access to devices and the Internet 
• enhance staff access to technology (devices, software and systems) to ensure the ongoing development of its Blended Learning strategy.
  
• refine its Blended Learning strategy' (see Bridging the distance: Remote learning best practices and the LRSD) by meaningfully engaging staff, students and parents/guardians to
• co-create the strategy
• develop their technical proficiency and capacities

• Ensuring students have access to the internet and laptops. 
• 1,700 laptops were distributed for home use
  
• additional laptops (and other mobile learning technologies) for students and staff have been ordered
  
• We will provide details in LRSD's Blended Learning Action Plan to support staff's collective efficacy and maximize student engagement no matter where and when they're engaging with technology to support their learning 
  
• Offering professional development for teachers to transition to an online teaching environment
• More than 150 professional development sessions were offered
• More than 700 teachers have taken part in online professional learning regarding the use of technology to support online learning
• LRSD offers an EdTech mentorship program that allows teachers to collaborate with a mentor colleague.  
• Technology and its use to support distance learning will continue in the 2020-2021 school year for our teachers.
• Enhancing technology in the classroom for staff and students
• LRSD is continuing to enhance the availability of technology for both teachers and students as well as looking for new technologies to assist in teaching and learning in our schools.
  

• More than 115,000 online teacher/student meetings have been organized 
• More than 122,000, 1 to 1 calls took place
• More than 31,000 group calls took place
• Almost 500,000 channel messages were posted
• Almost 5,000,000 chat messages were sent
  

Student Transportation

• Not providing bussing for students entering Kindergarten. The majority attend school for only part of the day and do not represent a significant percentage of our daily ridership.
  
• Restricting our Fee-for-Service school bus transportation.
• Not offering divisionally funded school bus transportation For example: Grades 7 and 8 students from the Sage Creek community to Collège Béliveau and Windsor Park Collegiate; band program transportation from École Varennes to École Marie-Anne-Gaboury, etc.)
  
• Extending the minimum walk zone boundary from 1.6 kilometres to either 2 or 2.5 kilometres. Students living outside the walk zone boundary will be eligible for school bus transportation.
  

Student Services and Clinical Services

• The well-being of students, families and staff
  
• A focus on equity for our most vulnerable students
  
• Maintaining connections between school staff and students
  

• Student specific resources/supports and services can be effectively provided remotely if necessary
  
• We will continue with our service delivery models whenever possible. However, ongoing capacity building (identification and preparation) for remote and small cohort learning opportunities will be important.
  
• Remote learning comes in many forms and is not always online learning
  
• Engagement and dialogue with families is key 
  
• Schools and families have local contexts that they must navigate
  
• Planning and time for planning are key
  
• We will adopt a Growth Mindset: we are in a novel situation and we will learn and improve service delivery.
  

• Staff and student physical and mental health
  
• Student transition planning
  
• Planning for students unable to follow physical distancing requirements
  
• Designing cohorts where students with greatest needs have the greatest access to necessary professional staff and spaces
  
• Reducing staff and student circulation in schools
  
• Ongoing Remote learning 
  
• Special needs transportation
  
• Home situation and family/childcare availability
  
• Equipment and space sharing and cleaning
  
• Appropriate understanding, use, care, and disposal of PPE 

• Principals are responsible to lead and organize the school Student Services Support Team.
  
• Review Manitoba Education's Covid-19: Resources Supporting Students with Special Needs with Student Services Teams.
  
• Activate the school's Mental Health Promotion Team and support their planning for comprehensive school health and well-being.
  
• Arrange Student Services School Support Team Meetings 
  
• Confirm scheduled meetings and provide options for MS Teams participation.
• Ask a representative of the clinical team for your school to propose dates the clinical team is available to ease scheduling challenges.
• Invite Clinical Supervisors and the Director to your School Support Team Meetings (for information only unless you are requesting their support in advance).
• Provide information to team members in advance where possible to make meetings more efficient.
• Use and collect data to identify Students in-risk due to pandemic or family circumstances (access to technology, requiring 'Student Specific Planning', well-being, loss of contact with student/family, etc.).
  
• Update class profiles and student-specific planning to include remote learning and physical distancing requirements as necessary.
  
• Prepare transition planning, intakes, and cohort configurations for the 2020-2021 year.
  
• Plan ongoing necessary training for staff to work safely with students including:
  
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 
• LRSD will provide PPE and staff training as required on the use and care of PPE to keep students and staff safe and will implement the Manitoba Education Guidelines on Supporting Students Who Require Interventions or Supports that Cannot be Delivered from a Distance
  
• Safe Work Procedures

• Review and assign case management to staff
  
• Ensure that an early connection with parents/guardians is established to create an ongoing communication plan (as per earlier guidelines)
  
• Review Clevr forms, Class Profiles, Support Intensity Scale data with teachers and identify students requiring new student-specific planning in the current context 
  
• Confirm meeting dates with the School Support Team as soon as possible and invite Director of Student and Clinical Services and Clinical Supervisors
  
• Have general resources for parents prepared in advance that are specific to their child's needs
  
• Case Manager arranges virtual Student Specific planning meetings for students to establish educational continuance goals and planning with parents and school teams.
  
• Prepare resources/supports and arrange services/connections to support students with tier 2 and tier 3 programming
  
• Re-evaluate transportation plans and supports as necessary
  

• It is essential to connect with parents/guardians to understand their circumstances and needs, to establish a communication plan, and share information to inform student-specific planning whether at school or at home.
  
• We need to provide notice to families regarding specific tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 supports that student services will provide to their children remotely if necessary.
  
• Arrange regular, ongoing check-ins with families (phone, email, online tools, etc.)
  
• Use check-ins to discuss resources, supports and services, prioritize learning needs, problem-solve learning and behavioural issues at home, and customize the daily schedule for students
  
• Help to overcome individual obstacles to accessing materials and resources
  
• Scheduled times with students and families is recommended
  
• Consider office hours and staff accessibility
  
• Identify specific hours in the day parents can sign-up for ahead of time and touch base with a specific person at the school 

• Co-plan inclusive, developmentally appropriate learning activities with teachers and develop learning resources for parents/students
  
• Provide student-specific planning support for teachers and families
  
• Support student-specific planning implementation 
  
• Support outreach for students in-risk and struggling to engage in remote learning easily
  
• Support understanding of each child's remote learning environment and current considerations for student-specific plans 
• Support teachers in the identification of students' learning recovery needs upon return to school.
  

• Providing Supports and Resources for remote learning activities
  
• Providing remote instruction and services (small group and individualized)
  

• Learning should be enjoyable and promote relationship, communication and wellbeing
  
• Student specific goals must consider new learning environments and supports available
  
• Consider greater use of outdoor spaces
  
• Move from student-specific programming to cohorts of students with common needs where possible to reduce social isolation and staff circulation/distribution of resources and needs for spaces.  Inclusion must be meaningful and purposeful, not merely physical/social.
  
• Assets and resources available to students will vary
  
• Co-planning and co-constructing using a team approach with parents/guardians and older students is even more essential
  
• Whether curricular or student-specific, goals should be developmentally appropriate and relevant and appropriate for onsite or remote learning contexts
  
• Focus on making curriculum learning accessible (accommodation, adaptation, modification if the student is eligible)
  

• Support staff may have increased responsibility for supervision and support of student learning planned by professional staff.
  
• Remote student engagement is to be scheduled and supervised by the teacher/supervisor in Outlook/Skype/Microsoft Teams in collaboration and as planned with students, staff and parents/guardians.
  
• It will be understood that professional staff will join and supervise/participate in the remote or onsite learning activities with a frequency and duration as they deem appropriate and necessary depending upon the learning task, the staff/student relationship and familiarity with each other, the learning task, and other factors which may require more direct support. 
  
• Professional staff will be available to support as needed 
  
• Support staff will communicate student progress or other feedback to supervising professional staff daily and not to parents/guardians
  
• Only professional staff will communicate with parents regarding students as per normal protocols.
  

• support home learning by assisting with check-ins and maintaining connections
  
• offer supplemental support and encouragement to students as staff are capable and trained to do.
  
• follow-up and reinforce instruction provided by teachers
  
• support clinical services programming as directed by clinicians (tier 3 only by Rehabilitation Assistants, Child and Youth Care Workers)
  
• support reading/speaking activities (especially in 2nd language programming)
  
• review social stories and assist with transition activities
  
• help prepare resources, supplies, and care packages for students
  
• support learning resource creation guided by teachers (e.g. .PowerPoint, videos, print resources, visual schedules)
  
• engage in other normal duties to support professional staff and students as assigned

Please refer any questions to the Director of Student and Clinical Services or Assistant Superintendent of People Services.

Childcare and Before- and After-School programs

Reviewing Emergency Preparedness

At the beginning of each school year, principals conduct a review of their school-specific emergency response plan (see Policy EBCA – Emergency Preparedness Plan). At this point, public health orders do not require physical distancing requirements to be respected during evacuations or lockdowns. The need for emergency procedures to be expedient, effective, and consistent outweighs the risk that COVID-19 would pose during these situations. That said, students should be encouraged to respect physical distancing once they have arrived at the muster point.

Board Meetings

The Louis Riel School Division Board of Trustees will continue to meet regularly throughout 2020-2021 (see schedule). Should a public health order restrict physical gatherings, meetings will occur via electronic means. Public participation is welcome, with advance registration required. 

Divisional Direction

LRSD remains firmly committed to its Vision, Mission and Values, its Multi-Year Strategic Plan, and its policies. By articulating LRSD's foundational principles, these documents provide clear direction. With all the uncertainty brought on by COVID-19, such clear direction is even more important. The division calls on all members of the school community, which includes staff, students, and parents/guardians, to keep these documents top of mind as they engage in their daily work in 2020-2021 and beyond. 

Facility Use Permits

Permits for evening and weekend facility use are suspended until further notice. The suspension will accommodate increased cleaning requirements and afford schools greater flexibility to repurpose gyms and multipurpose rooms for other types of instruction.

Managing New Registrations

• Families new to LRSD must contact the school by phone or email to arrange a registration appointment. Families who are uncertain of which school to contact can use the online LRSD School Finder or contact the Board Office for assistance. Unscheduled in-person visits to the school will not be accepted. 
  
• The school will arrange an appropriate meeting time and communication method (in-person, online, or other) to facilitate new registrations.
  
• If the family is relocating from out of province, they will be asked to contact the International Student Program (ISP) office (204) 253-8025. ISP staff will verify whether the family has arrived from a region that warrants a mandatory quarantine or isolation period. Families may be asked to verify their travel dates, quarantine schedules and plans. 
• Once all information is verified, the ISP office will contact schools to notify them that the registration process can begin.  New registrations will only occur after any mandatory quarantine or isolation period has been completed.
• Scheduling and timetabling of new students may require additional time to comply with distancing and cohort limitations. Families will be advised that this may take several weeks or more.
  

Local Field Trips

Field trips and off-site activities form an essential part of the learning experience for students at all grade levels. In planning for the safe return to school, careful consideration must be given to any plans that might involve taking students off the school property. To support decision making for possible field trips, teachers and administrators must use the following guidelines:  

• All proposed trips must be structured to adhere to health regulations in effect at the time of booking, including transportation guidelines, supervision requirements, groups size limits, cohort structures (including the supervisors), food and nutrition requirements, and physical distancing limitations at the site of the field trip.
  
• All plans for local field trips must be approved by the school administrator prior to booking sites and transportation. Detailed records must be kept of the trip plan, participants (including supervisors), and transportation details.
• Overnight field trips within province must be approved by the Superintendents Department and must meet all health requirements for physical distancing and transportation, for the entirety of the intended trip. Detailed planning documents must be submitted as part of the approval process.
  

Out-of-Province Student and Staff Travel

• The obvious concern for student and staff safety and well-being.
• Continued uncertainty about predicting the spread, impact, and potential second wave occurrences of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• Travel restrictions and quarantine requirements vary across regions and countries. 
• Significant and unpredictable insurance issues regarding both medical and liability insurance for travellers and the division.
• Unpredictable cost projections due to uncertainty regarding the availability and cost of transportation, variability of currencies and exchange rates.
• Reducing the financial impact on families by cancelling trips with as much advance notice as possible.
  

International Student Program

• Students can defer their registration until a later date.
  
• Students can cancel without penalty.
  

• All travel plans and dates for independent international students must be submitted to the ISP office well in advance of travel to Winnipeg. 
  
• A copy of the quarantine plan that the student will submit to Canada Border Services must also be provided to the ISP office. 
  
• Upon arrival in Winnipeg, independent international students will be asked to confirm their arrival by calling or emailing the ISP office. 
  
• Registration of independent international students in schools will not occur until after the student has completed all mandatory self-quarantine or self-isolation plans. These dates will be scheduled by the ISP office.
  
• Scheduling and timetabling of new students may require additional time to comply with distancing and cohort limitations. Independent international students will be advised that this may take several weeks or more.  

• Students can defer their registration until a later date.
  
• Students can cancel without penalty. 
  

Staff Services

• The employee is to submit their request for an unpaid leave in writing to Lisa Aitken or Jennifer Hume (Clerical) and copy their school administrator/supervisor.
• The employee will provide information on the reason for the leave, start and end date, and reasonable verification of the necessity of their request for leave.  
• The employee may be eligible for federal government benefits. 
  
  

If the employee is home because of an ill partner or unwell children: 

• Depending on the symptoms and situation related to the illness, the employee is to call Health Links and follow their directive. 
• Family Leave should be used as defined in the Collective Agreement and reported in AMS. 
• Complete a Leave Form for Family Leave with details and send to Lisa Aitken. 
• Pending the situation, leave without pay may be used for absences and reported in AMS. 
  
  

If an employee is instructed to go into quarantine or to self-isolate by Public Health and/or Manitoba Health Links: 

• Sick days will be used for absences with illness recorded as the reason in AMS. 
• When all sick days have been used or if no sick days are available, the employee will be placed on an unpaid sick leave. 
• For unpaid sick leave, the employee may be eligible for federal government benefits. 
• Teachers only: If all eligible sick days have been used, teachers may be eligible for short-term or long-term benefits. 
  
  

If the employee is ill: 

• The employee must stay at home. 
• Use either the online Shared Health COVID-19 Screening tool or the printed PDF: https://sharedhealthmb.ca/files/covid-19-staff-screening-tool.pdf  
• Depending on the symptoms related to the illness, the employee may be advised to contact Health Links or their health care provider and follow their directives. 
• Sick days are be used for absences, and illness reported in AMS. 
• When all sick days have been used or if no sick days are available, employee will be placed on an unpaid sick leave.
• For unpaid sick leave, employee may be eligible for Federal Government Benefits. 
• Teachers only: If all eligible sick days have been used, teachers may be eligible for short-term or long-term benefits. 
  
  

If administrator/supervisor is concerned an employee is ill at work, or if an employee becomes ill at work: 

• Administrator/supervisor will send the employee home, or the employee will notify their administrator and go home. 
• Depending on the symptoms related to the illness, the employee is to use either the online Shared Health COVID-19 Screening tool or the printed PDF: https://sharedhealthmb.ca/files/covid-19-staff-screening-tool.pdf and follow the recommendations it provides. 
• Sick days should be used for absences, and illness reported in AMS. 
• When all sick days have been used or there are no sick days available, the employee will be placed on an unpaid sick leave. 
• For unpaid sick leave, employee may be eligible for Federal Government Benefits. 
• Teachers only: If all eligible sick days have been used, teachers may be eligible for short-term or long-term benefits. 
  
  

If an employee travels to a high-risk area or to any destination to which the government or health authorities have advised against travel, whether international travel or otherwise, which is also deemed to be high-risk (Note: travel destinations may be identified as high-risk prior to, during, or at the conclusion of travel) for the transmission of COVID-19 will:  

• Notify their direct supervisor of their intent to travel internationally, and  
• Upon their return, will be required to undergo a 14- day self-isolation period before they can return to work or enter any school division property. The period of self-isolation will be unpaid.  
• Depending on the circumstances, there may be other leaves under the collective agreement that can be accessed such as: discretionary leave; extra-curricular leave; vacation; family leave; and/or leave of absence without pay. 

If due to COVID-19 an employee believes they cannot report to work because an immune-compromised family member resides in the same house: 

• The employee should contact their family member's medical physician for advice.  
• If the medical physician advises that the employee cannot attend work due to the health risk to their family member, the employee can request a family status accommodation which will require documentation. 
• Sick leave and/or an unpaid leave of absence may be approved for Family Status Leave. 
• All requests should be submitted in writing to Lisa Aitken or Jennifer Hume (Clerical) and copy their school administrator/supervisor. 
• The employee will provide information on the reason for the leave, start and end date, and reasonable verification of the necessity of their request for leave.  
• The employee may be eligible for federal government benefits. 
• Teachers only: If all eligible sick days have been used, teachers may be eligible for short-term or long-termbenefits
  
  

If an employee refuses to work because they believe the workplace is unsafe as a result of COVID-19 they should follow Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) process for refusal to work due to health/safety concern. Employee Right to Refusal Work Procedure can be found within the employee portal in WSH or People Services. 

• The employee will need to complete the online COVID-19 Screening Tool assessment and follow the direction given. If the employee is advised to stay home: 
• Sick days should be used for absences, and illness reported in AMS. 
• When all sick days have been used or there are no sick days available, the employee will be placed on an unpaid sick leave. 
• For long-term unpaid sick leave, employees should apply to CERB. The Benefit is available from March 13 to October 3.
  
• Teachers only: if no available sick days, may be eligible for short-term or long-term benefits. 
  

• The employee should follow the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Employee Right to Refuse Work Procedure.
  

Bill 55, The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act has suspended the requirement of a physician's certificate or medical note for the following employee leaves: maternity; compassionate care; unpaid leave organ donation; critical illness; long-term serious injury or illness; public health emergency leave.

Recess