Few hiccups as 3 Charlottetown high schools went back online, says Public School Branch
‘We had very few come back to us and say they had poor internet’
The head of the P.E.I. Public Schools Branch says the recent transition back to online learning for the three English language high schools in the Charlottetown region went smoothly.
A lot of groundwork was laid in the spring, smoothing the way for the change from in-person classes to virtual ones in the face of a local COVID-19 outbreak, said Norbert Carpenter.
"Chromebooks were available and delivered," he said.
"Teachers were prepared as well, most of the groundwork was done, so students knew the platform, knew where to look for work and videos and such."
All four public high schools in the capital area, including the French-language École François-Buote, moved to virtual learning as part of the COVID-19 circuit breaker public health protocols introduced earlier this week.
Carpenter said 20 students with exceptional learning needs are still going to the three English language schools in the Charlottetown area every day. They are being taught in libraries or other large rooms, well separated from each other.
Ensuring physical distancing is much easier right now because the majority of students are learning virtually, Carpenter said.
Any students with poor internet at home are also welcome to come use the schools' Wi-Fi — but Carpenter said he knows of only one student who has chosen to do that.
"We had very few come back to us and say they had poor internet," he said.
Hope for in-person classes
Some concerns were raised by students worried they might not get the same quality of education through virtual learning that they would be receiving in person.
Carpenter agrees online learning is not as good as in-class learning.
"Our goal is to keep schools as safe as possible, working with [the Chief Public Health Office], so we can have in-person learning" down the road, he said.
Things such as science labs and automotive classes can't be done online, Carpenter noted.
"We're hoping that after the circuit breaker, [if] we seem to be doing well here, that we can get back to in-person learning," he said.
The next step is to look into the operational plans of each school to see if they are "strong enough" to ensure student safety when the schools are ready to reopen, Carpenter added.
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With files from Island Morning