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Our District's COVID-19 Plan

*Please note that over the summer, we will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Education and the Provincial Health Officer to ensure a safe return to school following the K-12 Education Restart Plan.

Whether the plan expands or contracts, SD48 Staff will prepare over the summer to ensure that we are ready for your student’s return. At present, we have been asked to prepare for Stage One which is a complete return to in-class instruction for all students. We have also been advised of the possibility of a Stage Two or Stage Three start up. Regardless of the stage at which we return in September, it is expected that all students will attend school in the fall and that all students and families should make plans to be ready for that return. The Ministry of Education intends to have clear information outlined by mid-August. At that time, we will reach out to each of you with the new information to help you know what to expect.divider

 

In response to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the BC Provincial Government declared a State of Medical Emergency in March, 2020. School District 48 staff would like to share our gratitude and admiration for our school district staff’s response to this emergency situation and for the support we have received from parents, family members and the wider community. Our daily lives and routines have been transformed virtually overnight to meet these emergent conditions. We have come together as a community and we are grateful for your continued support.

To ensure that BC’s K-12 education system supports a coordinated approach to this emergency planning, four guiding principles were established for the K-12 education sector in British Columbia:

  1. Maintain a healthy and safe environment for all students, families, and employees.
  2. Provide the services needed to support children of our essential workers.
  3. Support vulnerable students who may need special assistance.
  4. Provide continuity of educational opportunities for all students.

The following outlines how School District No.48 has responded to each of these guiding principles to support our students, staff, and families:

 

Our district continues to ensure our practices comply with the Provincial Medical Health Officer Guidelines:

 

 

 

*Please note: SD48 is waiting on guidelines surrounding the support of children of ESW's for September. While schools are out for the summer, we will not be providing care to children of ESW's. 

 

We are fully committed to the BC government mandate to support the children of Essential Service Workers (ESWs). The province has categorized ESWs into 3 priority tiers:

 

  • Tier 1 (highest priority): families employed in Health and Health Services, Social Services, Law Enforcement, First Responders, and Emergency Response. For child care, Tier 1 also includes children referred by MCFD and Delegated Aboriginal Agency social workers.

  • Tier 2 (second priority): families in all other occupations not included in Tier 1 that are listed in the Essential Services Workers list.

  • Tier 3 (third priority): all other families not employed in an occupation listed in the Essential Service Workers list. Accepting families in the third tier is not required but providers may at their discretion. 
 

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Squamish:

  • Supports 74 families (106 children)
  • Sea to Sky Community Services provide pre (7:30-9:00am) and post (3:00-6:00pm) care
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Whistler:
  • Supports 15 families (21 children)
  • Kids On the Go provides care after 2:30pm
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Pemberton:
  • Supports 22 families (31 children) from 8:30am-5:00pm
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Currently, we are supporting the needs of our school communities by providing:
 

Please note: As of June 1st, parents/guardians have a choice to return their child to part-time in-class instruction. 

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For K-5, we are scheduling students in two groups, Group A: Monday and Thursday and Group B: Tuesday and Friday. These groups are established based on alphabetical order of last names, and are intended to keep families together.

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For Grade 6-9, students will be scheduled to attend school one day a week. Each school will be in contact with families to inform them of the day for their child’s attendance. In middle schools, students will attend in their pods on their assigned days. 

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For Grade 10-12,  students will attend school one day a week. Students will begin and end their day with their CLE-CLC class to complete CLE-CLC requirements and work on their online assignments. Students will be provided “flex time” to meet with subject area specialists for additional support if needed. Other students wishing to attend school for additional support may also do so provided maximum school density requirements are not exceeded.

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In-class instruction 5 days a week will continue to be available for children of Essential Service Workers, students with disabilities/ diverse abilities, and students requiring additional supports. Community partners will continue to provide before and after school care, when possible.

 

There will be continuation of online/remote learning opportunities to supplement in-school instruction. Students are expected to engage in their learning to the best of their ability and as individual circumstances allow. Parents of students not able to fully engage in their learning at this time are to contact their student’s teacher and principal to outline their extenuating circumstances.

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Below, is an outline of our efforts to provide continuity of educational opportunities for all of our students: