School boards prepare to hand out devices as most students brace for more remote learning

Hamilton school boards are preparing to hand out devices so most students can begin at least two weeks of remote learning.

This comes after the province said on Monday schools will be closed until Jan. 17 because of a growing number of COVID-19 infections.

The province previously said school would start Wednesday, but the last-minute decision has put families, school boards and educators into a tail spin as they try to adjust in time.

In a letter to families, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) said it is figuring out which households need devices via a survey open until Tuesday at 8 p.m. and will start handing out devices on Thursday.

Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB) is asking families to contact their child's school if they need devices.

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Not all students are barred from learning in-person though. Students with special education needs will still be able to attend class.

In its own letter to families, HWCDSB said it will contact families of those students and provide details in the next few days.

HWDSB said in its letter, it is "reviewing" plans for those students and, for now, will learn from home starting Wednesday.

"Knowing how transmissible the Omicron variant is, we will gauge caregivers' comfort and need for service," read the letter.

It is also offering an information night on Jan. 20 for those students and families.

Public high school students will start full instruction on Wednesday and said educators will be available to students to offer help in real-time (synchronous) or through pre-recorded video lessons, assignments and discussion boards (asynchronous).

Elementary students will get half a day of real-time learning on Day One. On Wednesday morning, educators will offer real-time support to establish routines for remote learning. The afternoon will be asynchronous learning.

Elementary students in the remote learning program won't see much change, but HWDSB said educators will connect with students over the week and will post a schedule to parents and students daily.