Kids have been back to school for one month and already the safety protocols that were promised are now being compromised. At Rolling Hills Public School, among others, they are being forced by the Trillium Lakelands District School Board and the Ministry of Education to reorganize classrooms. By this they mean raise class sizes and cut teachers, upheaving the promised cohorts and the ability for students and teachers to maintain a safe social distance. 

After careful consideration and review of the "Return to School Plan for TLDSB Families", most parents in our area chose to send their kids back to class. This plan referred to important measures such as limiting contact, maintaining cohorts to use separate doors, designated washrooms and banning rotation of classrooms. Students were starting to feel more confident with adhering to these new procedures. Barely four weeks in the rug is being pulled from under them. 

The announcement came home this week that six classes needed to be downsized to five and one teacher needed to be eliminated. It appears the Ministry and Board failed to do adequate planning before school began, to hire the necessary supports ensuring families could choose in class or online learning for their child. 

Tell the School Board it is not okay to be reducing teachers and upping class sizes. The health and safety of our children and the staff at Rolling Hills needs to be the top priority.