2020-21 School Operations

​​​​​​​​​The Upper Grand District School Board developed a comprehensive 2020-21 School Operations plan to ensure our schools and classrooms are safe learning and working environments. To inform our plans, we worked with our community partners, union and federation partners, school administrators, board staff, the Ministry of Education, neighbouring school boards, and used the input gathered from our parents/guardian and student surveys.

Our plans for school operations this year were made in consultation with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) and the Ministry of Education.

In the summer of 2020, the Ministry of Education directed all school boards in Ontario to prepare plans for three potential scenarios in September and coming school year. All Ontario school boards reviewed their plans with the Ministry in late July for the following three scenarios:

• Normal School Day Routine (Conventional Model) with enhanced public health protocols
• Modified School Day Routine (Adapted or Adaptive Model) based on smaller class sizes, cohorting and students attending school in class on alternative days or weeks
• Full Time At Home/Distance Learning Model with enhanced delivery of distance learning

Ministry’s Reopening Schools Decision

On July 30, 2020, the Ministry of Education announced its decision for the reopening of schools in September. All elementary and secondary schools in the Upper Grand District School Board were directed to reopen under a conventional model in September. This means that all schools opened to students for in person learning, five days a week. Parents/guardians had the choice to keep their child at home for remote learning, rather than attend in person. 

UGDSB Reopening Models

The board shared information about the reopening models for elementary and secondary schools, including an overview of the different models, sample schedules, expectations for remote learning, and more. Click here to review the documents for elementary and secondary schools.

Asymptomatic Testing in Schools

The Ministry of Education has instructed school boards to implement a targeted COVID-19 testing program in schools. The testing is voluntary and consent will be required. Testing is for asymptomatic individuals only. To learn more about the UGDSB testing in schools plan, visit the board website. 

Things we’re doing to help keep students and staff safe

Here are just a few of the many things the UGDSB is doing to help keep our students, staff and school communities safe:

• Implementing strict health and safety protocols and enhanced cleaning protocols in all our schools and sites.
• Hiring additional teaching staff to help reduce class sizes and increase physical distancing.
• Hiring additional custodial staff to help with cleaning and disinfecting.
• Addressing ventilation by ensure all scheduled preventative maintenance is complete and HVAC systems are performing as designed, purchasing stand-alone HEPA grade air filtration units that can be used in rooms such as interior windowless classrooms, and investigating opportunities to increase ventilation and decrease recirculated air through programming strategies.
• Working closely with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph to ensure all schools/sites follow Public Health guidelines around managing COVID-19 cases and potential outbreaks.
• Changing the layout of classrooms and flow of the buildings, using physical distancing, signage and markings.
• Requiring masks in schools and on buses for all students. 
• And more!

For more information on health and safety protocols, please review the UGDSB Parent Guide.

COVID-19 Management and Reporting

For information on Public Health’s process for managing cases of COVID-19 in schools, please visit: https://www.ugdsb.ca/community/coronavirus/reopening-schools-plan/managing-covid-19-symptoms-and-cases-in-schools/

In the event of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in a school setting, the school board is required to post information on the board website. This information will be posted here: https://www.ugdsb.ca/community/coronavirus/reopening-schools-plan/covid-19-advisory-reporting/

Tech Support for Remote Learners

If you have a question regarding technology related to the remote learning schools, as a first step, please visit the UGDSB’s Parent Tech Help website at https://sites.google.com/ugcloud.ca/parenthelp/. The Tech Help website contains answers to the most commonly asked questions, and also has information on accessing UGDSB online tools, a Parents’ Guide to Google Classroom and more. If you cannot find the answer to your question on the Tech Help website, parents/students can ask their question by filling out the form at the bottom of the page. Tech Help staff will post a response on the website as soon as they can. If parents/students are still having tech issues, they are to contact their remote school teacher directly.

Important Dates:

• June 19, 2020: Province releases Ontario’s Approach to Reopening Schools for the 2020-21 School Year. 
• June-July 2020: UGDSB staff work on developing plans for reopening schools
• June-July 2020: UGDSB staff survey parents/guardians and students for information to inform planning
• Week of July 27, 2020:
  • Review of Board plans with Ministry 
  • Ministry announcement regarding reopening model
• Week of August 4, 2020: 
  • Release of UGDSB Reopening Schools Parent Guide and FAQs to staff and families
  • Launch of pre-registration for parents regarding their plans for student attendance and busing
• Week of August 10, 2020:
  • Further development of staff guidelines, staff health and safety protocols, in consultation with Public Health
• August 14, 2020: Pre-Registration deadline
• Week of August 17, 2020:
  • Release of elementary and secondary learning models overview
• August 23, 2020: Deadline to for parents/students to change their original pre-registration decision
• Week of Sept. 1, 2020:
  • Staff training/planning for reopening implementation
  • Expected release of Public Health guidelines on outbreaks and COVID-19 management in schools, based on provincial guidelines
• Sept. 8, 2020: Staggered entry schedule begins
• Oct. 14-21, 2020: Survey period for parents/students wishing to request a change from in-person to remote learning. For details visit www.ugdsb.ca/survey
• Jan. 4-11, 2021: Survey period for secondary parents/students wishing to request a change from in-person to remote learning. For details visit www.ugdsb.ca/survey
• April 12-16, 2021: New date for March/Spring Break
• Ongoing: Possible adjustments to the plan as directed by Ministry of Education and/or Public Health