Lethbridge School Division. (Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge School Division delays “pivot” date for elementary and middle schools

Jan 7, 2021 | 3:27 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – UPDATE: The provincial government will allow students to return to in-school learning on Monday, January 11. More details here.

Students wanting to switch between online and in-person learning will have to wait a bit longer to do so.

As part of the school re-entry plan announced back in August, three pivot dates were set for students who might not have felt that their choice to learn in school or at home was the proper one.

Those dates were November 10, January 31, and March 31.

Now, a statement from the Lethbridge School Division (LSD) says the upcoming one at the end of this month will be changed for some students.

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“Following consultation with schools there will be some changes to these dates. I know that a change in plans that have been communicated can be difficult. I apologize for any difficulties this may cause and assume responsibility for this decision,” says Superintendent Cheryl Gilmore.

“I have conferred with other jurisdictions who have made changes to pivot points or are in the process of changing them given the same kind of challenges.”

She explains that the first pivot helped them to figure out some of the complexity in navigating shifts in many students’ studies, but it was not as easy to do as they thought.

“This week of at-home learning for elementary and middle school students in addition to high school students also added to difficulty with timelines given the requirement of teachers to change instructional delivery with all students receiving instruction from home and at-school learners back in the classroom next week.”

For students in high school (grades 9-12), the pivot date of January 31 will remain in effect.

LSD says this is the start of the second semester, so allowing a pivot change at any other time would not make sense.

The pivot date for elementary and middle schools will be delayed until Monday, February 22, the Monday following Family Week.

“Elementary and middle schools have expressed that the shift in classes (both at-home classes and in-school classes) that accompanied the change of students was challenging and it took some time to re-establish relationships, routines and ensure that every student adjusted in a positive way to the new configurations.”

More information on the changed pivot date for elementary and middle schools will be made available on the LSD website on January 27. The request for change will remain open until February 4.