Parents, educators rally to demand an end to TDSB’s hybrid in-person and virtual classes
A number of parents and education workers are calling on the Toronto District School Board to stop hybrid classes and fully fund emergency virtual school for those learning online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Concerned parents, students and teachers are organizing a rally at the school board’s headquarters Tuesday to present their petition, which calls for an end to situations where teachers are forced to preside over students learning in-person and online at the same time.
“We call on you to immediately honour your stated commitment that every student, either in-person or virtual, would have a dedicated teacher,” the online petition states. “Stop simultaneous learning and give students the dedicated teacher they deserve.”
The so-called hybrid classroom emerged as the preferred choice for some boards as the province shifted between online and in-person learning due to the COVID-19 situation during the last academic year.
However, some teachers, whose schools switched to hybrid classrooms last year, including some schools with the TDSB, say the model is stressful for educators and harmful for students’ learning, mental health, wellbeing and equity outcomes.
Some teachers said the model complicates learning for people in-person and online because it’s not tailored for either of the two cohorts.
In a news release just hours before the rally on Tuesday, Toronto Grade 12 student Shydharta Paul said she’s been finding hybrid learning difficult to navigate.
“Every day, I discover new obstacles about this learning model, which makes it harder for me to learn,” she said in a statement. “Labs and group work, presentations and class participation are all hindered for online students because of this hybrid learning model.”
The petition, signed already by more than 3,000 people, states that some school boards in Peel Region, Windsor-Essex and Waterloo have carried through with their commitment to fully virtual and fully online classrooms.
TDSB’s spokesperson Ryan Bird told CTV News Toronto that hybrid learning or simultaneous learning is taking place only for a select number of students in the elementary level who benefit from remaining connected to the staff and students with whom they are familiar.
“At the secondary level, simultaneous learning is taking place, where needed, to preserve access to a range of courses for students studying online or in-person and to avoid a full re-timetabling of schools resulting in course changes for most secondary students,” Bird said.
“Where feasible, fully virtual classes were created. Adopting an alternative model after the selection forms were received would have resulted in a delayed start and added further anxiety for many students at the start the second school year in a pandemic.”
-- With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Five areas Canada's foreign interference commissioner says needs more investigation
Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue released her interim report examining foreign election interference on Friday. Here are five elements of the issue that Hogue says she needs to further probe before she can make conclusions or recommendations.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Why your airfare may be getting more expensive
Skyrocketing airfare prices are linked to heightened competition and rising food and fuel, according to the CAA.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
New weight-loss drug Wegovy not a 'magic bullet,' doctor warns
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Funeral today for broadcasting legend and voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada' Bob Cole
A funeral is being held today for hockey broadcasting legend Bob Cole in his hometown of St. John's, N.L.
Foreign meddling 'did not affect' overall federal election results: inquiry report
Foreign interference by China did not affect the overall results of the 2019 and 2021 general elections won by Justin Trudeau's Liberals, a federal commission of inquiry has found.