Navigating the 2020-2021 School Year

Introduction

School Attendance

School Calendar

Opening Day Conferences

• In-class learning resumes for all; near normal with public health measures

• In-class learning resumes with additional public health measures.
• In-class learning resumes, five days per week, for students in K-8, students with special needs (all grades) and students who require additional supports
• Schools may increase in-class learning for Grades 9-12 to five days per week if they can maintain physical distancing and limit interaction between different groups of students. 
• If not, Grades 9-12 will participate in blended in-class and remote learning, with a minimum of two days in class per week.

• Limited Use of Schools (Implemented June 1, 2020)
• In-class learning is suspended. 
• Teacher-led remote learning for all K-12 students.

The overcrowding in several of our schools and the class-size in all our schools will further complicate our efforts to accommodate 'distancing' and 'cohorting' of students and staff in many of our schools.

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

• the use of all spaces in relationship to smaller learning cohorts of students 
  
• teachers and educational assistants in relationship to smaller learning cohorts of students
  
• the design and delivery of curricula in relationship to 'blended learning'
• the relationship of scheduling and timetabling in relationship to 'cohorting' and 'blended learning'
  

We use the word 'cohort' rather than 'classroom' purposely. In Scenarios 2 and 3 of Manitoba's framework to resume in-class learning, one of our 'new realities' will be to manage the circulation and mixing of students outside of their small learning cohort and to consider all available spaces for these small learning cohorts when they come together in a school. 

Given the overcrowding in many of our schools (several of our French Immersion Schools), the temporary relocation of some of these smaller learning cohorts to other schools and community buildings will be 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, no matter the scenario we find ourselves implementing when classes resume.

School Attendance

Unless an underlying health condition prevents a student from being at school, regular attendance is mandatory. 

Similarly, barring exceptional circumstances, students are expected to engage fully in remote learning.

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 wellbeing 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 scenario 1 and smaller cohorts in scenario 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 implement them faithfully. 

• COVID-19 General Info
• COVID-19 General Info Lifespan
• Employee Right to Refuse Work Procedure
• Safe Work Collection of Belongings by Student
  
• Safe Work Collection of Student Belongings by Staff
• Safe Work Delivery by Staff in Personal Vehicle
• Safe Work Delivery of Materials Bus Drivers and Staff
• Safe Work Desktop Technician PU and Delivery
• Safe Work for Visitors to LRSD Schools and Facilities
• Safe Work General Cleaning and Disinfecting
• Safe Work Handling of Library Resources
• Safe Work Handling of Music Equipment
• Safe Work Pick Up and Delivery of Materials to Facilities
• Safe Work Procedure Screening Questions
• Safe Work Student Meeting at School June 2020
• Safe Work WSH Building Inspection
• School Access Procedure

Mental Health and Wellbeing

• 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 wellbeing of the pandemic and support resilience and wellbeing for the transition back to school
  

Re-Opening and Schooling Scenarios

1. In-class learning resumes for all; near normal with public health measures.
2. In-class learning resumes with additional public health measures.
3. Limited Use of Schools (Implemented June 1, 2020)

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 (cohorting), and preventing circulation and exposure between cohorts where possible, to limit exposure to and spread of COVID-19 while pandemic restrictions are in effect. 

Cohorting is recommended but not required if two metre spacing between students is possible.

• 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 have been distributed for home use
• Offering professional development for teachers to transition to an online teaching environment
• Over 150 professional development sessions have been offered
• Over 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 have taken place
• More than 31,000 group calls have taken place
• Almost 500,000 channel messages have been posted
• Almost 5,000,000 chat messages have been made
  

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 Ecole Varennes to Ecole Marie-Anne-Gaboury, etc.)
  
• Extending the minimum walk zone boundary from 1.6 kilometres to either 2.0 or 2.5 kilometres. Students living outside the walk zone boundary will be eligible for school bus transportation.
  

In order to better assess the needs of our transported students, parents served by our transportation department will receive important correspondence and a request to fill out a brief survey in early July. We understand that any decision to reduce our regular ridership will impact many families, but our goal is to ensure school bus transportation is provided to those students who have no other means of getting to and from their school.  

Student Services and Clinical Services

• Wellbeing 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 as is 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 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 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 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
  
• 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/MS 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. .ppt, 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 Board 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

The Louis Riel School Division 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 – 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. 
• The school will arrange an appropriate time and mechanism for registering new students (in-person, online, or other).
• If the family is relocating from a region that warrants a mandatory quarantine or isolation period, they may be asked to verify their travel dates, and quarantine dates and plans. 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. 
  

Out-of-Province Student and Staff Travel

• The obvious concern for student and staff safety and wellbeing.
• 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

• An Employee is to submit an unpaid leave request stating their need to provide compassionate care/childcare due to the impact of COVID-19.
  
• The employee will email in writing their unpaid request or submit a Leave Form to their administrator/supervisor who will forward the request to Lisa Aitken or Jennifer Hume (Clerical). 
  
• The employee applies to the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). 
  
• Unless further notified by the division, we anticipate staff will return to work for the start of the 2020-2021 school year.  

• Sick days will be used for absences, and "illness" is reported 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 long-term unpaid sick leave, employee should apply to CERB. 
  
• Teachers only: if no available sick days, may be eligible for short-term or long-term benefits.  
  

• 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. 
• Pending the situation, sick days may be used for absences and reported in AMS. 
• If all sick days have been used or if no sick days are available, the employee will be placed on an unpaid sick leave. 
• For long-term unpaid sick leave, employee should apply to CERB. 
• Teachers only: if no available sick days, may be eligible for short-term or long-term benefits. 

• Depending on the symptoms related to the illness, employee is to call Health Links, and follow directive given by Health Links. 
• 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 long-term unpaid sick leave, employee should apply to CERB. 
• Teachers only: if no available sick days, may be eligible for short-term or long-term benefits.  

• Administrator/supervisor will send employee home. 
• Depending on the symptoms related to the illness, employee is to call Health Links, and follow directive given by Health Links. 
• 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, employee should apply to CERB. 
• Teachers only: if no available sick days, may be eligible for short-term or long-term benefits. 

• The employee should contact Health Links and if they instruct the employee 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, employee should apply to CERB. 
• Teachers only: if no available sick days, may be eligible for short-term or long-term benefits. 
  

• The employee should follow Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) process for refusal to work due to health/safety concern. Employee Right to Refusal 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.