Central Okanagan parents asked to weigh in on back to class options

Parents of Central Okanagan students are being asked to weigh in on the back to school plan, following the provincial announcement that in-class instruction would return in some form, for some kids in the months to come.

During the May 6, press conference aimed at giving information about restarting B.C., the province acknowledged that families with young children had to shift their lives significantly to manage work and teaching their children and that plans are underway to get some in-class learning going.

"An announcement on a phased approach to resuming in-class instruction will be made in the coming weeks. This will not be a return to normal. With weeks left in the school year, we anticipate many kids will not return to the classroom until September," a statement on the from the district reads.

"But we are also exploring ways to safely get some kids back to school before the summer, to allow more parents to return to work. How these changes unfold are the focus of intensive discussion among the Ministry of Education officials, school trustees, the BC Teachers’ Federation, CUPE, and other education sector partners."

In an effort to develop a plan that is responsive to the needs of families, the District said in a letter to parents it wants to hear from them on what thoughts and ideas it should consider as it plans for a greater level of on-site learning services at its schools.

To start this process, we will be using Thought Exchange, which will allow you to not only contribute your ideas, but also view and prioritize the ideas of others. This data will be used to help the District and schools develops a plan to move forward as further guidance is received.

The exchange will close on May 14.

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