These Ontario school boards are blending in-class and online. Will others follow suit?

The York Catholic and Dufferin-Peel Catholic school boards will soon be moving into a blended model of online and in-person learning – news that has sparked a new set of worries for many parents and educators across the regions.

This new model combines in-person and remote learners into the same class under the direction of the home school classroom teacher.

— Katie Taylor (@sinksships)

is failing students. Their communication from Day 1 was pathetic. Monday they said this was high school only. Today they changed their mind – elementary remote learners to be forgotten afterthought. They’ve failed all students & are setting teachers up to fail
— Toni (@Mississaugame)

Both school board notices cite concerns over operational challenges as a primary reason for the switch. 

“This hybrid model has numerous benefits including keeping remote learners in their home school with their friends, maintaining physical distancing in classrooms, and offering a seamless transition from in-class learning to remote learning or vice-versa,” York Catholic District School Board’s (YCDSB) interim director Mary Battista wrote, Oct. 7. 

“We recognize this is a change in learning modes,” Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s (DPCDSB) director of education Marianne Mazzorato said in the board’s release on Oct. 8. “This change is necessary to ensure all students have access to the programs offered in DPCDSB and to provide flexibility regarding learning modes in this time of uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The YCDSB will begin implementing the new model on Oct. 14, followed by DPCDSB on Nov. 2. 

Upper Canada District School Board already rolled out a , through which classroom teachers use specific technologies approved by the board, to facilitate a more collaborative experience between students learning face-to-face, and those learning remotely.

Stephen Sliwa, Director of Education at Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB), said this model “provides students with the ability to connect with someone from their school that they may already know and stay connected with their peers during the school day.”

He added that the model also ensures flexibility for families who can move from one mode to another, when needed.

Liz Stuart, provincial president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, said the amount and frequency of school reorganizations they have observed this year is unprecedented.

“This is a direct result of the Ford government’s lack of planning and funding for a safe school reopening,” she said, adding that many parents are uncomfortable with the current safety precautions.

“As a result … school boards are implementing impractical plans that do not meet anyone’s needs.”

Caitlin Clark, spokesperson for education minister Stephen Lecce, said the Ontario government believes in providing and supporting parental choice to decide what type of learning is best for their children.

“School Boards decide how they deliver quality learning for students in class and online,” Clark added. “We have set the highest standards in Canada for remote learning. For example, students will learn at least 75 per cent of the instructional day in a live synchronous setting, as well as being provided with a daily schedule or timetable.”

She said the Ontario government has dedicated approximately $24 million to YCDSB, $33 million to DPCDSB and $13 million to UCDSB to reopen their schools.

Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), said ETFO has also expressed opposition to this blended learning model. 

“On so many levels this approach is wrong and it will no doubt compromise the high quality instruction that students need and deserve,” he said, adding that teacher-student interaction is a critical part of learning.

“Teachers cannot simply be in two places at once; it’s unmanageable,” Hammond said. “Where does a teacher devote their attention? Is it the classroom students or the online students? Because they certainly can’t do both at the same time effectively.”

Annie Kidder, executive director of the advocacy and research organization, People For Education, said there’s no way to determine how many schools will end up adopting this new model, but she thinks “boards are frantically trying to solve problems as best they can.”

“Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention and I don’t think any board would have chosen this if they didn’t feel it was necessary,” she added. 

However, she said, the province, school boards and parents need to acknowledge that these are not usual times and that there should be some leniency with regards to what teachers are expected to accomplish given the current circumstances.

“From a system perspective, there has to be flexibility about not assuming that teachers are going to implement new math curriculum at the same time for example, or meet all of the outcomes that are normally supposed to be met in curriculum by (a certain) date.”

Kidder said other factors that should be considered are hiring more support staff to help with both in-class and online learning, as well as affording teachers the opportunity to speak about what’s working and what isn’t. 

“I think what’s important is that we are immediately building in a method of learning about how this works so that we’re not just leaving teachers on their own to try and figure it out,” she said.

With files from Laura Broadley