Durham School Board Return-to-School Plan: Sept 2020

The Durham District School Board issued a return-to-school update on Tuesday, August 11, 2020, detailing how elementary and secondary students would resume classes amid ongoing health restrictions.

Board staff had been refining arrangements since the Ontario government released its September reopening framework one week earlier. The plans were presented to the Ministry of Education the day before the update, and officials said the meeting confirmed the proposed schedules and health measures while allowing family concerns to be raised.

Elementary schedule and safety measures

Under the draft elementary model, students would attend in person five days each week in stable cohorts that remain together for classes, recess and lunch. Each child would receive 300 minutes of face-to-face instruction daily, following the full Ontario curriculum. Masks would be encouraged for junior kindergarten through grade 3 and required for grades 4 to 8. Enhanced cleaning, scheduled hand-washing breaks and classroom lunches form part of the protocols outlined in the first edition of the Return to School Guide, which has already been shared with the Durham Region Health Department for feedback.

Secondary hybrid model and remote option

Secondary schools would open under a hybrid arrangement in which students are placed in groups of approximately 15 and attend in person every other day plus alternate Fridays. Instruction would be delivered in a quadmester format, with each 45-day block allowing students to focus on two credits at a time. Masks would be mandatory indoors, and a staffed study hall would be available daily for additional support. Families may instead select fully remote learning through a new Virtual School led by a principal and vice-principals, where elementary students would follow an age-appropriate schedule of roughly 300 minutes combining live and independent work, and secondary students would mirror the quadmester timetable in virtual classrooms.

Board officials noted that class sizes would stay at existing levels but efforts would be made to ease crowding where resources allow. The Return to School Website and updated FAQ section were launched to answer the high volume of questions received from families.

Acting Director of Education Norah Marsh said the priority remains high-quality learning delivered in the safest possible way, with further subject-specific guidance expected in the coming weeks as discussions with provincial associations and public health continue.