Return To School - Questions for Administration
In advance of our meeting with the school’s administration, we have started to compile a list of questions to bring forward. We may not get all the answers to these questions at this time, but this will form a regularly updated FAQ to help families make informed choices.
GENERAL
1. Are we working towards class cap sizes of 15 for grade 3 and under, and 20 for grade 4 and up? What are the class size numbers currently?
2. Can we ensure only one teacher and 1 ECE interacts with one cohort of KD students?
3. Who will be physically implementing the changes at the school? Signage, equipment, classroom configuration etc.
4. Can we establish a process for staff or families to bring forward issues, when protocol is not being met, in a way that the issue can be addressed and fixed quickly (i.e. no soap)?
5. Will staff or students be given COVID tests on a regular basis or at any time?
6. Will parents be required to provide learning materials like pencils, books, etc? In the past, TDSB has provided this for those who can’t – will that change?
7. Will there still be grade 3 gifted testing this year?
8. Will there be student assessments to ensure all kids are tracking at the appropriate pace regardless of in-class or remote learning?
9. When will you be asking teachers/staff if they plan to return to in-person teaching?
10. What if a teacher is sick?
11. What is the increase in budget for Clinton this year over last?
12. Schoolyard – remaining work to be completed (pooling of water/drainage, bike racks, planting, painting of games on pavement etc.) to be completed before school is back in session?
13. Plans for extracurriculars or all cancelled?
14. Are you open to parent volunteers coming into the school to fill gaps? If not, how will you get the staff needed to fill those gaps?
15. Is there a need to replenish any technology, that may have been given to students for home learning, in the school?
16. What items or tools will special ed students require to better integrate into this new normal? And can council fund that?
FACILITIES
17. With the new announcement on additional funding to improve ventilation, how will that impact Clinton?
18. What is the status of air circulation and quality at our school? Are we in need of upgrades and if so, what is the status of that work? Was our air system checked over the summer?
19. Has the walk through to determine what signage and hand washing stations been done? Site Supervisor and Caretaker did traffic and decals?
20. Will you be issuing permits for facility use? Can you say no?
DROP OFF/PICK UP
21. What will the school entry and exit procedure be for students/parents?
22. Will start and finish times be staggered to ensure minimal interaction between classes?
23. Will parents/guardians doing drop off and pick-up be required to wear masks AND distance?
24. Will the school bus operators require support from us?
25. Will taxis still be used frequently?
DAILY ROUTINE
26. How will you handle children who refuse to follow the new rules (i.e. not wear a mask)?
27. In grade ¾ split, will grade 3’s also be required to wear masks?
28. How can we create outdoor classrooms and ensure time spent outside is maximized for all students?
29. How do we minimize student contact with staff beyond their cohort teacher, given teachers require breaks/prep-time etc?
30. What will the day looks like? From possible staggered starts and ends, to how many times, will students be prompted to wash hands, etc.? Can we see a visual schedule?
31. Will parents be able to pick their child up at lunch and then take them home for the rest of the day?
32. What is the plan for lunch? Where will they eat? Who will supervise?
33. Still rotating teachers in like music, gym, etc?
CARETAKING/PPE/SUPPLIES
34. What is your position on the use of masks for earlier grades, JK-3?
35. Will the school have additional dedicated caretaking staff? What is their mandate? How do we ensure appropriate and effective cleaning?
36. What new hygiene products will the school be using? Eg contactless handwashing, hand sanitizer machines, contactless water bottle filling.
37. Have we ordered sufficient supplies of PPE for all staff and students?
38. Will the TDSB supply lip-reading masks, where the teacher’s lips can be seen? If not, can council supply those?
39. Will fans be used in the school?
Can we supply fans or AC units or hepa filters for the classes?
41. Have the previous supply ordering restrictions be removed? How can we feel confident that the school will always be stocked with the hygiene products needed?
42. Are staff or students allowed to wear face shields only or masks as well?
DAYCARE
43. How will before and after childcare be integrated in these cohorts? With daycare going back to usual numbers, and then daycare students mixing into all classes, what’s the point of cohorts?
44. Do daycare workers have to wear masks plus face shields, or can they just wear face shields?
45. How aligned are the school’s protocols and daycare’s protocols?
REMOTE LEARNING
46. Can families receive paper packages (which apparently was an option in the spring), so they don’t have to print off so many things?
47. What is the plan for remote learning? Do those separate teachers engage with the admin as usual? How will remote students engage with each other or other students?
48. If families opt for remote learning, can they opt in to in-person later in the year? If so, what does that process look like?
49. If families choose not to do in-person or remote, are they still technically part of the school or do they lose their spot and have to re-apply for next year? If they opt back in throughout the school year, will they be placed in their home school?
50. Special needs students doing remote learning will they have live access to one teacher? Always the same teacher?
IN CASE OF OUTBREAK
51. What are the protocols and plans in the event we have a COVID case in the school? Will the entire school be notified if there is an outbreak in school or daycare?
52. Can we require a negative COVID test in order to return to school, once someone has tested positive? Can we ask that they be completely free of symptoms?
NEXT STEPS
53. How/when will the school plan and protocols be communicated to parents? Will there be safety and public health training for students and parents and when?
54. When will students find out who their teacher will be, whether in-person or remote?
55. Once the school is set up, can you do a video to show us all what this actually looks like so we are not sending our children into a black hole?
56. What are your next key milestone dates?
If you would like submit a question, please let us know.