Learn at Home courses will not be associated with student home schools, but rather with the LKDSB Virtual Learn at Home Secondary School. The Principal of the LKDSB Virtual Learn at Home Secondary School, Mr. Paul Wiersma, will communicate with all Learn at Home students prior to the start of school. 

While students are enrolled in the LKDSB Virtual Learn at Home Secondary School, they will not be able to enter the school premises or participate in school activities. Learn at Home will operate in quadmesters (refer to the Scheduling – Secondary section for description). 

Students who choose Learn at Home will be enrolled in a D2L Brightspace. They will be registered in two classes per quadmester with students and teachers from throughout the LKDSB. Students who choose Learn at Home may not have the same timetable or course selections they requested in the spring. All attempts will be made to honour student course requests; however, the priority for Learn at Home will be to provide compulsory courses. As such, there will be limited optional courses available in the Learn at Home program. 

During Learn at Home, students will engage in a combination of asynchronous and synchronous (during school hours) learning to achieve the 110 hours of instruction per course. Students will be expected to log in to their Learn at Home classes every day. Attendance will be taken daily. Regular school protocols for truancy will be followed. 

Students and parents will be provided with a daily schedule or timetable that includes 300 minutes of learning opportunities per day, with a combination of synchronous (225 minutes) and asynchronous learning activities. Programming will be based on the full Ontario curriculum and include opportunities for guided instruction, large- and small-group learning, synchronous check-ins, and asynchronous independent work. The LKDSB Virtual Learn at Home Secondary School bell schedule is as follows: 

Synchronous learning does not constitute supervision and the school board cannot be held responsible for student behavior / accidents that occur while students are engaged in Learn at Home. 

Synchronous learning: Learning that happens in real time. Synchronous learning involves using text, video, or voice communication in a way that enables educators and other members of the schoolor board-based team to instruct and connect with students in real time. 

Asynchronous learning: Learning that is not delivered in real time. Asynchronous learning may involve students watching pre-recorded video lessons, completing assigned tasks, or contributing to online discussion boards. 

For Secondary students in Grades 9 -12 the daily minimum synchronous learning time requirement will be 225 minutes for a 300-minute instructional day. The synchronous learning will be provided for large and small groups of students each day, in a manner similar to in-person classroom teaching. Synchronous learning time may include students working independently and in small groups while engaged in a virtual classroom with the teacher overseeing their learning and available for questions. 

Students may be exempted from the minimum requirements for synchronous learning, on an individual basis. Requests for an exemption must be made in writing. To support meaningful access to education, alternative learning approaches will be put in place for all exempted students. Exempted students will be provided with a daily schedule or timetable per course. 

LKDSB will assess whether there are students who need access to a device or Internet and take steps to distribute school resources to ensure students can stay connected, wherever possible, to learning.