Class is back in session for thousands of students in the London, Ont., area
The weekly morning commute is about to get busier as thousands of elementary and high school students in the London area head back to their classrooms today.
Those behind the scenes, including teachers, support staff, bus drivers and others, have been prepping tirelessly for a smooth transition for students from the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) and London District Catholic School Board.
Francophone students got an earlier start to the school year as their classes were back in session on Tuesday. Despite an ongoing bus driver shortage across the province, bus companies are continuing to recruit and train drivers and are all set for the first week back.
"Everything is covered as of right now," said Ryan Reddings, chief administrative officer for Southwestern Ontario Student Transportation Services, which operated 1,100 routes in the region.
"We had periods where we were cancelling anywhere from maybe one to four routes a day [last year]. Certainly we had periods where there were zero, so it's very minimal in the grand scheme of things, definitely less than one per cent of our routes."
Reddings said parents can go online to monitor any cancellations or route changes. The website also has resources related to school bus safety, including videos and documents for families to familiarize themselves with, along with pickup and drop-off locations and bus numbers.
Teachers at London's brand new Northwest Public School have been busy setting up classrooms for this week. They say they're looking forward to welcoming more than 700 elementary students.
WATCH | Take a peek inside London's newest elementary school
It'll be a different first day of school for TVDSB families as Ontario's fourth-largest school board starts the year without trustees. It comes after the province took over the board in April and appointed lawyer Paul Boniferro as a supervisor to clean up alleged financial mismanagement and a ballooning budget deficit.
TVDSB is one of five school boards that have been taken over by the Ontario government. The province has also all 72 boards on notice to direct funds to the classroom. Education Minister Paul Calandra told CBC News last month that he was considering eliminating school trustees altogether as part of a review of the provincial governance model.
The idea has prompted pushback from parents, teacher unions and trustees who have said problems in Ontario schools are not the result of mismanagement but chronic underfunding.
Local organizations have also ramped up efforts to collect donations and essential items such as backpacks and other school supplies as parents and their youngsters get back into the daily routine.
cbc.ca
