What would you do if you woke up one morning and your child’s teacher wasn’t there any more? No message from the school principal, the school board or other warning; the teacher your child had spent two months bonding with simply wasn’t there. This is what happened to many parents this morning when their child logged in to the TDSB’s virtual school.
Over the weekend, the TDSB began implementing what they hoped would be a solution to the shortage of French language teachers: they reassigned a slew of teachers to team teaching arrangements. This meant that many students had no school today. Tomorrow they will be introduced to two new teachers, one for English and another for French. For some students in Grade 3 French Immersion, this means they are being dropped to only 50% French instruction while their in-person peers are receiving 100% French instruction. Some 800 students are having their education discounted. The bonds they built with teachers during a global pandemic are being upended.
This is not a viable solution.
We are lobbying to have this decision reversed and a better solution found. Concerned parents are already contacting the TDSB, government and other decision makers.
Please take a minute to read a summary of the issue and consider voicing your opinion on Facebook, Twitter (@tdsb), or in an email to your School Trustee and MPP. Please use the following hashtags: #educationmatters #Virtual #education #covid19 #tdsb #onpoli #wellness #equality.
Thank you for your support of our students!
Sincerely, The HPSC Executive
Howard Public School Council 