How We Got Here

• May 12 - Trustees began weekly Committee of the Whole Special Meetings to provide strategic advice and recommendations to the Board on the continued implementation of services during school closures, creating a successful path to the post-COVID reopening of schools and other potential learnings from the pandemic period.
• May 19 - The Provincial Government announced that schools would be closed for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. In response, TDSB staff set up a number of Committees to explore a number of possible scenarios for re-opening along a continuum ranging from fully open and operational schools to a complete continuation of remote learning for all students; also including staggered schedules for students, the ability to switch between remote and in-person learning, and transportation.
• May 18 - At the second Special Committee of the Whole, staff cited the most important questions raised as part of school re-opening related to supporting and improving student well-being, achievement and engagement, in light of the closure period. Specific questions raised connected to many areas of the Board including, communication, Employee Services (expectations for staff, issues of absenteeism related to staff and students), implementation of hygiene and physical distancing measures, teacher support, nutrition, School Councils, technical support for students and staff, transportation, emergency preparedness, sites with multiple users, differentiation between elementary, secondary and “specialized” schools as well as distinct provisions for Wandering Spirit School. It was also acknowledged that while the Board must provide system direction, local schools will implement and operationalize based on the unique needs of school communities.
  Staff also noted the Central Planning Committee developed a survey for parents/guardians and a survey for staff to seek input regarding reopening plans. While final direction was to be provided by the Ministry of Education, Toronto Public Health and/or other public health agencies, the feedback gathered from TDSB staff and parents/guardians would be used in ongoing conversations with provincial agencies when considering return to school planning concerns.

• June 19 - The Premier and Education Minister announced the Government of Ontario’s guidelines for the return to school in September. School boards across Ontario are being asked to prepare for three possible scenarios that will depend on the public health situation at the time: Normal School Day routine with enhanced public health protocols and students going to school every day, in classes that reflect standard class size regulations; Modified School Day routine based on public health advice, an adapted delivery model designed to allow for physical distancing and maintain a limit of 15 students in a typical classroom at one time and adopt timetabling that would allow for students to remain in contact only with their classmates and a single teacher for as much of the school day as possible requiring  alternate day or alternate week delivery to a segment of the class at one time; and fully remote At Home Learning 
  School boards were asked to submit their plans to the Ministry of Education by August 4, 2020 and the TDSB committed to sharing plans with school communities once they’re approved, prior to the start of school. 
• June 20 - As reported on CP24, Minister Lecce "directed” boards to at least start with an “adapted model,” wherein students would attend in-person classes on alternating days or weeks and be “cohorted” into groups of no more than 15. He said that a region-by-region approach could then begin in October in recognition of the fact that “the risk of COVID-19 is not linear” and will vary from board to board.
• June 23 - At the Special Committee of the Whole re Covid-19, Director Malloy confirmed "What do we know?" 
  Researchers are trying to learn as quickly as they can.
  Medical professional are trying to offer clarity about what will keep the majority of people safe.
  Policy makers are trying to figure out how to move forward into a new normal that is as normal as possible.
  And for valid reasons, this is all being done in a context of mixed emotions, fatigue, fear and real challenges that families are facing.
• He also confirmed the final decision on what school reopening looks like in September will be made by the Ministry of Education and Public Health Ontario. The Board had clearly stated to the province that they should be looking at creative solutions to ensure that students and staff can return safely for in-class learning five days a week. 

• July 9 - The Minister of Education indicated the goal was for all students to return to the classroom full-time. The Minister noted that final approval of a regular school day model is at the discretion of public health officials. Previously, the Minister had directed school boards to plan to start the year using an adapted school day model, where smaller cohorts of students split their time between in-class learning and remote learning. 
• July 15 - Preliminary plans for reopening the TDSB were shared with Trustees for discussion. The presentation outlined ongoing plans for back to school with the health, safety and well-being of both students and staff remains our top priority in planning.
  Staff also announced in order to make informed decisions for September, we would be asking all parents and guardians to pre-register their child to indicate their intention of returning to school in-person in September and confirm transportation needs, if any.
• Week of July 27 - In light of the government’s recent statement that the model in which schools will re-open will be announced this week, TDSB staff concerned that we would be surveying our parents/guardians on school opening models that are in fact no longer under consideration, put the sruvey for parents and staff on hold.
• July 30 - The Ministry of Education confirmed the following models for return to school in September: Elementary (Kindergarten to Grade 8): Students (including those in Special Education and French Immersion & Extended French programs) will attend school 5 days per week, with one cohort for the full day, including recess and lunch. Enhanced health and safety protocols will be in place. Secondary: Adapted model: Students attend school every day, in smaller class sizes of approx 15 students, in either the morning or afternoon, with learning continuing at home the other half of the day. Schools will operate on a quadmester schedule. In addition, the Ministry directed that parents will continue to have the option to opt their children out of in-person delivery and participate in remote learning. 
  TDSB staff again had to alter plans to present on August 4.

• August 4 - Trustees discussed the staff report at a Special Committee Meeting - the discussion continued with a presentation at the Special Meeting on August 6. It was noted that the secondary school model would continue to be refined. 
• August 6 - At the Board's request, Dr Anita Dubey, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health wrote to Director Jackson and expressed concerns regarding TDSB plans especially because physical distancing could not be maintained.
• As a result, the Board asked the Director to go back to the Ministry with an earlier plan (July 15) for elementary that maximized class size for JK-3 at 1:15 and for grades 4-8 at 1:20 and shortened the school day by 48 minutes in addition to the model presented to the Board on August 4.
• August 13 - Ministry announced PPM 164 - Requirements for Remote Learning providing 
  direction to school boards on remote learning requirements, including implementation and reporting. 
• August 13 - Although the Ministry of Education said they don't "approve" our models they made it clear to Director Jackson that the 15/20 elementary model (JK-3 max class size 15 and 4-8 max class size 20) that would have shortened the school day is not acceptable and that any elementary model must include the full 300-minute instructional day for as required by the Education Act. 
  However, the Province announced school boards could use reserve funds and go into greater debt to hire more teachers to lower class sizes in elementary schools if they wanted to – a clear change from the province’s original position that class sizes were fine the way they were.
  With only a maximum $30M of reserves available to augment the $6.3M of new funding from the Ministry to lower class size (2% deficit) staff confirmed to the Board that they could no longer plan to lower class sizes across the system but are now looking at what is possible - lowering the maximum number of students in specific grades and/or in specific communities that have higher incidences of COVID-19.  Any potential strategies would be informed by advice from Toronto Public Health.
  We also learned the Ministry would not allow our current secondary model and that it had to be reworked to have as close to 50% in-class time for students as possible. Staff committed to bring revised models to a Special Committee of the Whole on August 18. 
• August 14 - Dr. Eileen De Villa, Medical Officer of Health for the City of Toronto, shared with the TDSB her assessment of improvements that could be made to make for a safer September. In the letter, she makes the following key recommendations: Ensuring that class sizes are limited to allow physical distancing of 2 metres between all students; Strongly encouraging masks for younger students (below Grade 4) where possible; Prioritizing resources for schools in high-transmission and high-needs areas; Piloting a saliva-based testing option that could be used in homes and schools; Implementing active daily screening practices; and,.Encouraging a later start the school year or having staggered start dates for students in order to allow school boards and schools time to prepare and incorporate public health recommendations.
  This advice was contrary to the provincial expectation that elementary school class sizes could remain as they were when schools closed last spring – no limits. This advice also confirmed weeks of complaints from parents and staff that the provincial elementary model was flawed because class sizes were too large.
  The province refuted the assessment from Toronto Public Health saying they had they own health advisors. 
• August 14 - Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced that Ontario will allow boards to stagger the start of the first week of classes for up to two weeks, such as having different grades start on different days. 
• August 20 - The TDSB changed its elementary plan and allocated an additional $39 million to lower class sizes across the city and in doing so, prioritized class size limits for schools serving communities identified by Toronto Public Health as more at-risk for higher Covid-19 transmissions.

Board Meeting this Week

School Year Calendar 2020-2021