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High schools to reopen, ADSB hopes to see 'many' elementary kids return to class on Monday

Peer interaction, socialization 'critical to a child's development and learning' says director in note to elementary parents
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Algoma District School Board office file photo. Darren Taylor/SooToday

The Algoma District School Board has told parents that it hopes to see "many" elementary children return to class on Monday as Algoma Public Health lifts restrictions that kept Sault high schools closed for the last two weeks.

While the high schools have been closed, the ADSB had "strongly encouraged" elementary parents to keep their children home if possible and to continue with online learning.

While several hot spots in the province remain under a provincial order to continue online learning from home, Northern Ontario districts have been allowed to open since Jan. 12. Algoma, however, has been under stricter measures after APH instructed boards to keep high schools in the city closed and recommended that elementary children continue to be offered the option of at-home learning.

The APH instruction to boards was lifted this afternoon, meaning ADSB high schools will reopen on Monday and elementary parents whose kids are learning at home are being asked to consider having their children return to classrooms.

"At this time, we welcome all elementary parents to re-assess their circumstances and to consider having their children return to in-person learning," says a letter to parents from Lucia Reece, ADSB's director of education. "While we respect that some families have unique circumstances, peer interaction and socialization are critical to a child's development and learning. Although some of our families may continue to opt of remote learning via our hybrid model, we do hope that many will return to in-person learning as of Jan. 25."

Elementary kids who have been at home will return to enhanced safety measures, including compulsory mask-wearing for Grades 1 and up, and masking requirements for certain outdoor activities where physical distancing is not possible, including during recess.

Meanwhile, as the board prepares to send kids back to high school, it is stressing that health measures like mask wearing and social distancing need to be followed and says students who won't do so won't be allowed to continue coming to school.

"Students who repeatedly choose to ignore staff requests to respect health measures will be sent home and asked to participate in remote learning," Reece wrote in a separate letter addressed to parents of high school students.