Vancouver students will have the option to learn at home in September, school board announces

The Vancouver School Board says it's heard parents' concerns about sending children back to class in September, and it's developing an option that will allow students to begin the school year learning at home.

The school board announced Friday that the temporary transition program is being created in response to a survey of parents, and details will be made available next week.

"This would be for families who are not ready to have their children return to in-person instruction when school begins in September. It would be a temporary transition option that allows students to learn remotely and to receive some learning support from the district," the school board said in a notice posted online.

Students who choose this option will remain enrolled in their local schools, and the plan will likely include one-on-one time with a teacher.

Children will be placed in learning groups within their schools in preparation for a possible switch to in-person learning this school year.

Students across the province are beginning the return to class on Sept. 10, with measures in place to prevent widespread COVID-19 transmission.

All 60 districts in the province released their plans for the school year on Wednesday.

At the centre of the province's guidelines is a plan to place students in learning groups of 60-120 children that will allow for social interaction while simplifying the process of contact tracing.

Vancouver's plan originally included three options: full-time, in-person classes; homeschooling with all education provided by parents; and the distributed learning program offered by the Vancouver Learning Network Elementary Program.

The school board says that 69 per cent of parents who responded to its survey plan to send their kids back to school full time, while 29 per cent were more interested in a learn-from-home transition program.