Peel School Board changing schedule due to heavy increase in online enrolment

Heads up for students and families: the upcoming school week may be different than what you were expecting.

In a letter sent out today, the Peel District School Board (PDSB) says it’s seen a significant increase in families switching from in-person learning to the PDSB O​nline School over the last few days, with over 64,000 students now enrolled online — an increase of over 10,000 students in the last week.

“Due to this recent increase in online enrolment, we require additional time to staff online classes and reconfigure timetables to ensure an equitable and successful start for all staff and students online,” said the PDSB.

“As a result, we have made some changes to the experience for this upcoming week.”

From September 14 to 18, the board says elementary students will be provided with online learning material to complete at their own pace, with a focus on numeracy and literacy. PDSB Online School staff and teachers will connect with families on September 17 or 18 to welcome students and provide more details about online instruction, schedules and tools. 

Live online classes with teachers will begin on Monday, September 21 for elementary students.

Meanwhile, high school students will work on a cross-curricular independent inquiry project aligned to particular core subjects (i.e. English, math, science and social sciences) from September 15 to 21. By September 18 students will receive their timetable for the quadmester through their Peel student email accounts, and live online classes with course teachers will begin on Tuesday, September 22.

“These are truly unprecedented times, and we appreciate your patience and understanding during this transition back to school and as we navigate this new way of teaching and learning,” said the board.

More information about the PDSB Online School, including orientation information, courses, curriculum and delivery, can be found at the PDSB’s website.