Montreal school board launching new English school that is completely online
As the start of the new school season is less than a week away, a Montreal school board is set to launch a new virtual school for select students who want to take their learning online.
Starting this week, the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is opening registration for the Quebec Virtual Academy, which will be eligible to certain students who meet specific criteria set by the Ministry of Education.
The online learning model will be open to students with a "long-term medical condition" who can't attend class for health reasons on the condition they provide a note from a health-care professional from the last three months.
The academy will also be open to some students who are in a Sports-études program and don't have access to specific courses where they are studying. Students in rural areas who lack access to specific courses and where transportation to an alternative school is not an option will also be eligible.
The EMSB said this new model was inspired by remote learning during the pandemic which gave students access to education while mitigating infection concerns.
"It became very clear that there are students with medical issues, not necessarily related to COVID, who didn't have this option before. So now we're going to be able to allow them to have this really terrific opportunity," said Mike Cohen, a school board spokesperson. "Of course, it has to be deemed by a medical professional. It's not just an automatic call us and we'll sign you up."
The program will be offered to students in the English system from kindergarten to Grade 11 and teachers will be soon be assigned to virtual learning. Registration is expected to be launched on the EMSB website in the coming days.
Cohen believes the program is a first in Quebec.
"This would be the first of its kind that I know of because it's far-reaching," he said. "It's not just related to medical conditions. It really opens up a door to students who need this and we're going to be working with our sister boards across the province to ensure they let their populations know that this wonderful option exists."
RETURN TO IN-PERSON LEARNING
For some students, a school that is entirely online might seem like an appealing option, especially for those with compromised immune systems. Immunocompromised students used to have automatic access to online learning under the province's emergency measures but that is no longer the case.
Students in an elementary school get ready for class as Quebec students get back to school in Montreal on Tuesday, January 18, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
As the return to in-person learning starts for the school year, public health officials say there is no need to completely shut down a classroom in the case of an outbreak.
This directive comes as officials said Wednesday this year's back-to-school season will be the safest one yet in two years with protection from COVID-19 from a previous infection during the seventh wave or recent vaccination — or both.
During a news conference on the COVID-19 situation, officials said transmission isn't largely happening in the classroom.
"Most of the time it was not school. It was actually household transmission because you’re actually more likely to spend time within your household," said Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh, who sits on the Quebec Immunization Committee.
Dr. Marie-France Raynault, a senior public health advisor to Quebec's health ministry, also told reporters, "there's no reason from a public health basis to close a school.
To help mitigate the spread of the virus this fall, the province is supplying schools with 14 million rapid tests and is supposed to install 90,000 CO2 monitors to test air quality in classrooms by December.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.