HWDSB to provide tablets to families in need amid COVID-19 school closures

Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board is prepared to provide tablets and pay for internet for families without them, but admits it is still dealing with more questions than answers as it tries to manage how students will learn from home because of COVID-19.

"This is going to be complex and messy. A paradigm shift in two weeks is not typically how we manage complex change," Manny Figueiredo, HWDSB director of education, said.

"But I also say to people, a crisis should never be a wasted leadership opportunity ... I'm preparing for worst case scenario, what is it going to look like between now and June?"

Figueiredo said the board is taking a two-phased approach. Staff are now expected to start reaching out to families to assess community needs and plans to launch more interactive learning beyond April 6 after training staff.

"Educators can ... connect with kids through video, through chat, through resources," Manny Figueiredo, HWDSB director of education, said.

The school will use their own digital programs and other ones like Microsoft Teams to host staff meetings and also to have teachers meet with students. 

Students worry about e-learning

This comes after the Ford government decided to extend the March break by two weeks due to COVID-19.

School boards were coming up with a plan to prepare for classes starting up in early April, but Premier Doug Ford said on Monday that likely wouldn't be the case.

The news left families scrambling as they try to sort out how to care for their kids and how they'll continue to learn.

The Ministry of Education's response was introducing Learning at Home, an online educational platform for students.

It did little to calm families.

Some students said it didn't fit their learning style and needs. Others said their courses were hands-on lessons that couldn't be done through e-learning.

Figueiredo said the equity concerns raised by having to teach remotely have been central to their planning. He said the board will not have an issue giving families devices to access e-learning. He added that the board is speaking with internet providers asking them to either not charge overage fees and provide free or cheaper access to families who can't afford it.

"We won't let a family go without it, so if we have to pay for it to support the family, we will," he said.

While Figueiredo said it will be harder to adjust programming for kindergarten to Grade 3 students, he feels more confident about other students.

And he hopes the new changes will be enough to support students with learning disabilities, even considering YouTube videos as ways to teach life skills.

Figueiredo said the Ministry of Education is talking to colleges and universities about the current circumstances and how to mitigate them.

"I can see the anxiety there ... we don't know what the solution looks like yet, but we've been reassured they won't be impacted."

Union and board working together

HWDSB and the unions are still discussing how to best address the situation.

"I know we have different roles but we are committed to work with the local union but we also have to be aware that we have to push all of us to think differently because this is a unique time," Figueiredo said.

Jeff Sorensen, the ETFO teacher local president for HWDSB, said while they would like the board to ensure educators have access to work phones, laptops and computers instead of using their own personal devices, educators will comply with directives to reach out to families.

"There's a lot of 'wait and see' it seems,' " he said.

"We're waiting to get direction from the board and it sounds like they haven't gotten a lot of direction from the Ministry."