Virtual learning will be offered for students within the Lambton Kent District School Board again in the fall.
Director of Education John Howitt has let parents and guardians know it will be an option for the 2023-2024 school year.
"No further action is required if your child will be attending in-person learning for the 2023-2024 school year or if parents/guardians have already registered for virtual learning for the 2023-2024 school year," said Howitt. "All students will be registered for in-person learning for September 2023 unless parents/guardians confirm registration in the virtual learning program."
Anyone interested in registering their child for virtual learning is asked to contact their child's school to register by the end of this month.
"To assist with staffing and planning decisions, the LKDSB is requesting that any students interested in registering in the virtual learning program should contact their child’s school by March 31, 2023."
Howitt said enrollment in the virtual learning program is intended to be a permanent year-long commitment to ensure stability within classrooms.
"Families will not be able to opt-in or out of in-person and virtual learning during the 2023-2024 school year, he said."
Exceptions would be considered on a case-by-case basis and accommodation would be based on space availability and may vary school-to-school and grade-by-grade.
Howitt encourages those with specific questions about their child to contact their school directly.
"It is highly unlikely we'll be able to offer Kindergarten as we have in the past. So far there is no registration for Kindergarten in the virtual level. So, we're not looking at offering that based on demand."
Other grades will still be accommodated.
"We have sufficient registration currently to offer [virtual learning] in grades one to eight, and in the secondary school, it will likely be a mix of synchronous. In other words, live face-to-face learning, more in the grade nine to ten level and some of the higher level credits in grades 11 and 12 would likely be the e-learning model which has already existed for well over a decade."
He said about 150 elementary and 150 secondary students have been enrolled in virtual learning this school year.