Response to updated timetable 

The TDSB has recently introduced its plan for high school this upcoming fall, in response to COVID 19. The plan is overly complicated and confusing. Students and parents alike are shocked at how difficult it is to understand. 

There are many issues students have voiced in response to the plan:

- the expectation that students can get home, eat lunch and get ready to work within the 40-minute time frame presented. If students require the full 1.5 hours to return home, they must sacrifice time for: Support for Students with Special Needs, IEPs, ELLs, etc, Student Success Initiatives (RCR, caring adult meetings), Gap Closing --, Small Group Learning, School-Wide or Small Group Wellness Initiatives, Support for IB Program Requirements (Extended Essay, ToK, Internal Assessments), Meetings for Leadership Groups (e.g. Student Council, Athletic Council, etc.) Students who live far from school will lose these valuable resources. 

- the expectation that students can focus on one course for 3.75 hours, starting at 8:45 in the morning. 

- the expectation that students will be able to regulate ‘independent learning at home’, with family and other interruptions 

- the elimination of clubs, groups, and contact with friends and peers

- the lack of time allotted to access services in the school like guidance, the library, and teacher help

- the removal of lockers, vital storage spaces for heavy textbooks, winter coats, boots, and instruments.

- an unorganized and complex schedule that will add unnecessary stress to student lives. 

Instead, we recommend something closer to the full week solution some private schools are using. Where half the school is in on Monday and Tuesday, while the other half watches live from home, Wednesday is dedicated to disinfecting the school, then the groups switch for Thursday and Friday. Wednesdays for students are spent catching up on work and sleep, allowing us to prioritize our mental health during these trying times. Also, while still in quadrester form, the classes are split into four periods, allowing students to absorb and take breaks from subjects.

This solution would not force students to rush home, instead, give them time to use school amenities. Give students time away from subjects, to recharge and refresh their minds. Give students regulated, in-class learning, and independent learning opportunities, to fit with every learning style. Allow students to eat lunch with their friends, attend clubs and extracurriculars, giving us the necessary social aspect of schooling. Allow for the most normal school experience, making adjustment easier for new students and returning students.

Students deserve better than just a thrown together schedule. This is our education, our health and our sanity, a crucial part of our lives, it should be treated as such.