Letter to Parents: Homeschooling vs Distance Learning for Students with Medical Exemptions

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We have received a number of inquiries regarding Homeschooling and/or Distance Learning for students who have been granted a medical exemption. In order to clarify, I ask that you please take note of the information below:

• All Western Québec schools are open at 100% occupancy; there are no schools offering part-time scheduling;
• Student medical exemptions are provided based on one of two reasons:
  • 1) the student is deemed medically vulnerable to COVID-19;
  • 2) the student resides with an individual who has been deemed medically vulnerable to COVID-19 by a medical doctor;
• Only students who receive a certified exemption from a medical doctor are eligible for distance learning, which will be provided by the Western Québec School Board; parents must complete the Request for Medical Exemption form (find it here) and return it to wqstudentexemption@wqsb.qc.ca along with the medical certificate;
• Distance Learning for medically exempt students will be organized and facilitated by the Western Québec School Board;
• Homeschooling is different than distance learning as described above, in that homeschooling is where an educational plan and teaching is coordinated and carried out by the parent (or someone engaged by the parent); the educational plan for the individual student must be submitted to the Ministry of Education;
• Although there are many available resources for parents seeking to homeschool, teacher lesson plans and teacher-made materials through the school and school board are not made available;
• Parents who wish to pursue homeschooling for their child should consult our Homeschooling information page, as it provides an overview of procedures and expectations
• Further information from the Ministry of Education (MEQ), including the application process, is available on the Ministry’s website;
• Finally, the Ministry provides a series of learning project templates.

In the event you wish to obtain further information regarding Student Medical Exemptions, please contact me directly at georgesingfield@wqsb.qc.ca. If you require further information regarding Homeschooling, please contact Ms. Chantel Hutter, Administrative Technician for Educational Services, at chutter@wqsb.qc.ca, or Mr. Stewart Aitken, Director of Educational Services, at saitken@wqsb.qc.ca.

Sincerely,

George Singfield
Secretary General and Director of Corporate Services