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School district releases more details on planned return
By Hannah Scott (Local Journalism Initiative reporter) and Lorraine Graves
Published 2:49 PDT, Tue May 26, 2020
Last Updated: 2:13 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021
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Only a third of parents in Richmond plan to send their children back to school.
Last week’s school district survey had an 88 per cent response rate, which superintendent Scott Robinson said was unheard of.
Of the parents who answered the survey, 36 per cent said they would send their children back to school on June 1.
As as increasing number of children of essential service workers are returning to school—rising from 50 at the end of April to 600 this week—the district has been test driving protocols for a larger-scale return.
“We are essentially doing our third school start-up this year,” Robinson said.
Grade 8-12 students who return to school June 1 will learn with a tutorial-based model that gives them the equivalent of one day of instruction per week. Students can sign up for appointments to get assignments directly from teachers as well as asking any questions they may have.
Students and staff will be required to submit to a daily health declaration process before they enter buildings. Later this week, parents will receive specific information from their child’s school.
Graduation ceremonies will be virtual, with speeches recorded. The district is also attempting to secure a high-profile speaker.
“We’re competing with 300 schools across the province making similar requests,” Robinson said.