August 26, 2020

Dear Elementary Parents and Guardians:

The health and safety of all students, staff and parents is the district’s highest priority in planning for a return to school in September. All schools will begin the year in Stage 2 of the BC K-12 Education Restart Plan and adhere to the requirements of the COVID-19 Public Health Office’s Guidance for K-12 School Settings.

The Richmond School District’s Restart Plan has been approved by the Ministry of Education and is guided by the requirements of the Provincial Health Officer. The district’s plan will support a safe return to in-person instruction for students and staff.

At this time, we are surveying parents and guardians, seeking information to inform our planning as we have heard that some families are not yet comfortable with having their child(ren) return to school for in-person instruction. The district has four options that are available to elementary families which include:

Option 1: Returning to School for In-Person Instruction
All schools will implement health and safety plans according to the enhanced safety guidelines under Stage 2 of the BC K-12 Education Restart Plan. Your child’s classroom will be their primary learning environment. Elementary students may also be organized into learning groups of up to 60 students and staff.

Option 2: Home Schooling
Parents in British Columbia are entitled to provide an educational program for their child(ren) at home. It is important to note that if you select the home-schooling option, your child will not be registered with the Richmond School District. Home school programs are not supervised by district personnel, and you are responsible for delivering the curriculum and learning activities. If you choose to re-enroll your child into a district school, you will need to contact Central Registration. Registration and placement will be subject to established deadlines and space available.

Option 3: Distributed Learning
The Richmond School District does not offer an elementary distributed learning program. As such, parents will need to research programs and determine availability for your child. If you register with a distributed learning program, your child will not be registered with the Richmond School District. If you choose to re-enroll your child into a district school, you will need to contact Central Registration. Registration and placement will be subject to established deadlines and space available.

Option 4: Transition Learning
This is a temporary transitional option for students whose families are not yet ready to have them return to in-person instruction, but do not wish to lose their child’s space in their neighbourhood school or program of choice. This option does not require a student to attend school in-person in September, but instead provides continuity of learning for students through district-supported home learning on a temporary basis.

Your child will maintain their classroom placement at their current school, but temporarily remain at home, while being supported by a Richmond teacher. This option may necessitate groupings of students from a variety of schools and grades, and may not align with the units of study taking place in the classroom. Please note that the teacher providing this service would likely not be your child’s classroom teacher. Moreover, there may be a change in teachers providing this service depending on the number of parents who select this option.

The situation will remain this way until you either choose to return your child to in-person instruction, or withdraw and choose another option such as home schooling. For clarity, this program is designed to be short-term and help your child transition back to in-class instruction. The district will designate several points during the school year for children to return to in-class instruction. As of right now, these dates have yet to be determined.

Survey Information

It is essential that all families complete the Elementary Return to School Survey by 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 30 to enable planning to continue. Please complete one survey for each elementary student in your family.

As further information becomes available, the district will continue to share details through email, as well as through our district website and social media.

Sincerely,

Scott Robinson Superintendent of Schools