SAULT STE. MARIE -- A local teacher's union says it's concerned for teachers, as the Algoma District School Board prepares to merge online and in-person learning.
The president of the Algoma Elementary Teachers Federation said the decision to switch to a hybrid model comes as many teachers are already feeling overwhelmed.
"We have worked really hard to transition with our virtual learners in the training, in the technology that is needed," said Nicole Mitchell. "But now we're going to put those two together and there's still so many unanswered questions."
Mitchell said both the board and the union were caught off guard by how many students have chosen to switch to virtual learning so far throughout the semester.
According to the school board, that figure is around 300 students, which has led to massive changes weekly.
"We are always concerned with meeting the needs of a learner," Mitchell said. "Some of them have unique needs, some have learning disabilities. We usually approach teaching with a differential model and now this is going to make it even more complex."
Blames the province
Mitchell said she's not putting the blame on the school board for the decision. Instead, she chalks that up to the Ford government.
"They've been in media saying that they've invested millions of dollars, but at the end of the day, the funding formula was not sufficient," she said. "If our schools had proper funding to begin with, we wouldn't be in this situation."
The school board said the decision to merge the two forms of teaching into one will help provide much needed stability.
"The virtual school had to be staffed and we were running into staff vacancies every day," said school board chair Jennifer Sarlo. "It was just ongoing change and disruption to our system, especially with children leaving at any given time, so this decision was made after some careful consideration."
Sarlo said it also gives the board some flexibility, when it comes to crisis situations. For example, should a student or faculty member develop COVID-19 symptoms, she said having a virtual aspect already incorporated can help prevent a class from being halted.
"Whether you're in school, or if there was an outbreak, we can respond quickly," she said. "This can help provide that seamless transition to avoid those stoppages that might arise in a regular class."
Sarlo added the board hopes restructuring in this format will carry it through until the end of the school year, but that contingencies are being worked on.
The new system begins Nov. 16.
