GUELPH – The Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) is open for international students as soon as Ontario receives approval from the federal government.
In September 2019 the board had 440 international students, 197 completed their schooling at the end of the first semester, and in February 285 students were scheduled to begin the second semester, explained superintendent of education Doug Morrell at the Oct. 27 board meeting. However, eight students deferred and another six had cancelled their attendance before arrival.
When the Canadian border closed on March 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 62 students withdrew from the international student program at UGDSB. The remaining 209 international students finished the 2019-20 school year online either from their home country or their Canadian home.
In September, 109 international students returned to classes at the Upper Grand and 12 new students began attending classes. There are 24 students who are participating remotely from their home countries.
Vice-chair Barbara Lustgarten Evoy asked how teachers are teaching those international students who may be on the other side of the world and in different time zones.
“We were surprised that those students wanted to do that,” Morrell said, explaining those students are working through the night and early morning in order to participate in synchronous learning with UGDSB students.
“If they’re willing to do it we try to work with them,” he said.
An UGDSB staff member also works through the night to connect with international students and parents to ensure the students are following the classes they’ve signed up for.
At this time the UGDSB cannot accept any more international students because the federal government has not given approval for Ontario to do so. If approval is given Morrell said there are already 51 students planning to come to the UGDSB for the second semester.
The only provinces where international students are welcomed at this point are British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick and PEI.
“This is an issue for us folks,” Morrell said. “We have been working diligently for a number of years now to build up our international student program and we’ve spent a lot of time and money on the program.”
He said the program helps to maintain staff and programming.
It also ensures “that our students have an opportunity to get to meet and work with students from other cultures and countries,” Morrell said.
In order to get the federal approval, Ontario school boards must submit an attestation outlining how the board is ready to welcome international students in the COVID-19 climate.
“The difficulty will be if we do not agree to the attestation, we’re going to have the possibility of losing our international student program,” Morrell said.
International students must provide a quarantine plan for when they arrive in Canada and the board had to issue a letter for all students coming to the UGDSB saying it is essential for the students to come to Canada to continue their learning.
Students also have to be in possession of a valid study permit and be attending a designated learning institution, such as the UGDSB, that has a COVID-19 readiness plan approved by the province.
Upon arrival into Canada international students must follow the same protocols as any returning Canadian and quarantine for 14 days.
They must have direct transportation from the entry point to Canada to their quarantine location, ensure there are suitable isolation opportunities and no contact with vulnerable people and they have to monitor their symptoms.
“There had to be communication protocols from the quarantine location … to public health in case of non-compliance, and there also had to be communication established between the designated learning institution or its representative,” Morrell said.
Post-quarantine the board also had to have a plan in place.
“The requirements for post-quarantine were to ensure that mental and physical health supports were available for the international students,” Morrell said. “Anti-racism and COVID-19 stigma supports in schools and the community were provided to the students, support in general was important for each of these students.
“And then mitigation of social barriers to support compliance with COVID-19 infection control practices.”
The UGDSB is in compliance with all the requirements.
“The intent of the attestation is to ensure that we are providing safety, not just to the international students but also to our schools and our communities,” Morrell said.
He asked that trustees approve a motion stating the UGDSB will continue its international student program in compliance with Ontario Ministry of Education and the Canadian federal government guidelines for accepting them and that the director of education will sign the attestation form to attest that the board has complied with the requirements set out.
Trustee Linda Busuttil asked what would happen if the student didn’t comply with the UGDSB or Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health safety requirements for COVID-19.
“We follow the same process in the schools that we would follow with a Canadian student,” Morrell said. “We would follow progressive discipline.
“However, with our international students … if they fail to follow our expectations, they can be sent home. We have sent students home before.”
Evoy asked whether the board is anticipating that students won’t want to come to an Ontario school because of the higher number of cases than in other parts of the country.
“It very well could be,” Morrell said. “I’ve read articles just recently … some parents are removing their students from provinces that have not been designated and trying to get them into provinces that are designated.
“It is a competition, it’s a business and if we want to be competitive, we need to get into the game.”
Trustee Gail Campbell said she would like to support the motions but she’s not ready to at this point.
“I am very concerned that we’re not going to get the students that we’re hoping for and our province won’t get permission in order to have students and at this point I don’t think I can support it right now,” she said.
“I can surely support it later, if we had a little bit more information, if the province was allowing it or if COVID was lessening.”
However, Morrell pointed out there are 51 students who are already willing to come and the attestation must be completed so the province does get approval to accept international students.
“There’s not risk to this,” Busuttil said. “It is a checklist saying ‘yes we’ve done that, yes we have this, yes,’” she said. “An attestation, by passing this motion, doesn’t require us to do anything.”
The board passed the motion, but because it was done virtually, it was difficult to identify if any trustees were opposed.
