Peel board delays start of online classes,

Some 10,000 students opted for virtual learning over the past week

The Peel District School Board has delayed the start of online classes after thousands of students switched over to virtual learning at the last minute.

Students were originally supposed to begin online school on Monday, but in a letter sent to parents on the weekend, the board said elementary students will now be starting those “live” classes on Sept. 21 and high school students will begin Sept. 22. The school board says it now has more than 64,000 students enrolled in online classes.

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

In the meantime, from Sept.14 to 18, elementary students will be given online assignments to work on independently.

High school students will be assigned cross-curricular projects to complete before the classes start.

The Peel board says high school students will receive their timetables for the upcoming “quadmester” on Sept. 18. The quadmester system, where students study two subjects at a time for about two months, is being used by a number of boards during the reopening of schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The board has also allocated Sept.17 and18 for both groups of students to virtually meet with their teachers.

“These are truly unprecedented times,” the board wrote. “We appreciate your patience and understanding during this transition back to school.”