Messages From the Director

​Hello everyone,

During a year of many snow days in 2019, I shared a letter explaining the process that goes into making the decision to close schools on these days. I would like to provide some more information on this process, and how COVID-19 and virtual learning have impacted this decision further. 

As you are aware, schools were closed recently due to inclement weather. While this can sometimes be a contentious issue, the decision to close schools or cancel school transportation is always made with the safety of students and staff being the absolute primary criteria. 

The pandemic has added an extra layer of complexity to these decisions. On Tuesday, Feb. 16, I (along with the Director of the HCDSB) called a “snow day”. As a result, I received messages from the community who thought school should have continued online with in-person teachers pivoting to deliver lessons virtually from home. Other school boards in Ontario have chosen to do this, including some of our surrounding boards.

In the fall, we informed all parents that for the HDSB, a “snow day is a snow day” and all schools, whether they were virtual or in-person, would be closed and the students would not attend classes. 

We took this position for the following reasons. 

As I mentioned, the first and foremost priority is student safety, but equity for all students is also important. Snow days have always been challenging for some families who are left scrambling for child care, while other families are able to seamlessly accommodate it. This gap in equity is exacerbated by the pandemic environment.  

In the spring of 2020, when schools were shut down and completely off limits to staff and students, all staff pivoted to remote/distance learning. This involved thousands of staff and tens of thousands of students. There were a myriad of problems which had to be overcome such as internet connectivity, the distribution of devices and a whole new paradigm of teaching. Although staff and the students of the HDSB did their very best, the results were mixed and inconsistent. This was the same experience of every Board in this province. 

One of the ways we have improved remote/virtual learning is by having teachers work from schools where technology is reliable and they have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues. The virtual learning experience this year is much better than last spring.

On snow days, in-person teaching staff would have had similar technical issues if they switched to virtual. Could it have been done? Yes, but it would be inconsistent and without question would have exacerbated the "normal" inequity which exists on snow days. If only the virtual schools were open, I am sure you can appreciate there would be many people upset about the advantage those students had. If we had pivoted all students to learning online, we would no doubt have experienced inconsistent delivery and access to instruction (as other school boards discovered).

The reality is there is no way to satisfy the varying opinions and views, so the decision was made for the same reasons it has always been made: Student safety and without worsening equity for our students.

Finally, I have a few personal comments. These in no way influenced the decision to call a snow day, but upon reflection I have come to realize that for a great many of our students, it was a welcome break. We need to remember what these students have lost as a result of the pandemic. They have lost all school extracurriculars: no sports, no plays, no school band, no in person graduations or commencements, etc. Students have lost the normal everyday contact of hanging out with their friends. As adults, we all remember the fun times in school and our current students have lost out on all those experiences. 

In addition to their school experience, students’ home life may have also radically changed. There are few, if any, community events  running; many are living in households experiencing  financial challenges due to loss of jobs or businesses,  and many students are unable to see their extended families. All of this is coupled with the images and words they see on social media, TV, newspapers and radio given by grim-faced adults reminding them how to behave, and how bad this pandemic is and how bad it can get. While these are important messages, imagine the toll it may be taking on the lives of our youngest citizens. It's tough.

There is not one single student from our school board who will not be able to pursue their dreams or aspirations as a result of a snow day. But what it does, even if it was just for a day, is to continue a regular tradition. Students love and have always loved snow days, and as I stated earlier, although this is not the reason the decision was made, it is certainly one of the unforeseen benefits of it.

Thank you for your time. 

Stuart Miller
Director of Education
Halton District School Board​

In an article in the Toronto Star on September 23 two respected educators Dr. Andy Hargreaves and Dr. Michael Fullan commented that Canada’s education system, through PISA (an international student assessment), has consistently ranked in the top dozen countries. Apart from two countries, Canada is the highest performer among all English and French speaking nations.

As a province, students in Ontario consistently perform in the top half of Canada’s provinces. The HDSB consistently is in the top five of school boards in Ontario.

Although not an exact extrapolation, it is reasonable to draw the conclusion that the HDSB is one of the top academic performers in the world. Last year I was asked to be a keynote speaker at a conference in the U.K. to present how and why Halton achieved this in both academics and student well-being. The argument I presented was simple. It is because of the expertise and professionalism of our staff, but more specifically, our teachers and school administrators. 

I write all this because I am asking parents/guardians to please trust our staff and have confidence they are trying their best to support your children. 

We are obviously in unprecedented times and in six months our whole profession and delivery of education has radically changed. I really do understand and appreciate how difficult and challenging this is for families. As parents, we all want the best for our children and to support them as they try to navigate these difficult times. Anxiety is understandably high. 

The teachers in the in-person classrooms are working hard to overcome the obstacles of these learning experiences and doing their best to support student learning. The exact same can be said for those in the virtual classrooms. Teachers want what you want for your children. For them to feel safe, to belong and to be successful. 

What is not clear to me and I would suggest is not helpful to teachers or students, is for parents/guardians to be online with their children for entire virtual lessons. We have had some parents interrupt virtual classes to express an opinion to a teacher, and make comments in Facebook groups about the learning taking place in the virtual classroom.  Some of the comments I have seen refer to students with foul language, identify a student with special needs and many others to criticize the teacher’s work and interactions with students, including their own. 

I cannot see how this will improve the experience or learning for anyone. All it will do is demoralize teachers and send messages to students that to do so is acceptable.

I ask those parents/guardians that rather than spending the time to engage in this behaviour, let's make it constructive and respectful and contact the teacher if you have concerns. If still not satisfied, contact the Principal.

I can assure you, our staff is professional and dedicated to making a difference. They are doing their best in trying circumstances to support your children. We can only get better and learn to live with this pandemic if we do it together.

Sincerely, 
Stuart Miller
Director of Education
Halton District School Board