Surrey School District offers pandemic transition program for K-9 students

The Surrey, B.C., school district, the largest in the province, says it will offertransition programs for students in kindergarten through to the ninth grade in order to allay fears some parents and families have had in returning to school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SurreyDistrict Parents Advisory Council hadbeen advocating for a third alternativeto eitherfull time in-class instruction or full time at-home instruction in the district's back-to-school plans.

In a letter sent to the Ministry of Education on Aug.26,the group said aflexible hybrid modelwould allow students to easilytransition back to the classroom when they and their families feel it is safe.

In a news release,Laurie Larsen, the chair of the Surrey Board of Education, said it was "normal" for families tohave some apprehension about returning to full-time school this September, especially as many students have been away from school since theshutdown overthe March spring break.

Most students across B.C. are expected to return to class full time next week, withmodifications in place to respondto the coronavirus pandemic.

"We are confident in our plans, but we know that many of our families are nervous," Larsen said.

In addition to the full-time in-class instruction offered at the school, the district's schools will offer ablended learning option for all kindergarten to Grade 7 students . This option is a combination of online and face-to-face learning with the goal of gradually increasing face-to-face instructionto full-timein-class instruction byJanuary 2021.

With this option, children will still be enrolled in their neighborhood school.

For Grade 8 andGrade 9 studentswho are not planning to returnto school, the district says school staff will work with individual families on plans for transition which may include a delayed start or reduced attendance, with a gradual transition back to full time in-class instruction. Online course options will be taught through thedistrict's online learning school.

Grade 8 and 9 students will remain registered at their current school if they choose this option, but they will bewithdrawn from their two courses in the first quarter.

Grade 10 to 12 students, the district notes, are already in a blended model with some in-class instruction and some online instruction.

Parents should register for the school program online by Sept. 4 for secondary students, and Sept. 8 for elementary students.

The district says thetransition programs should be operational by Sept.21, with an orientation for registered families during the week of Sept.14.