Quebec's largest English school board returns to school today

Monday marks the first day of classes for the largest English school board in Quebec.

The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is welcoming tens of thousands of students back for the first time since classes shut down on March 13.

The EMSB says it is closely following all the COVID-19 health guidelines put forth by the provincial government and masks are mandatory for all students in Grade 5 and higher.

Other English school boards, including Lester B. Pearson, English Montreal, the Eastern Townships and Riverside, also reopen this week.

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English students across the Montreal metropolitan area are permitted to take school buses to schools but public health has limited capacity on all buses to 44 as opposed to the regular 72.

The EMSB is asking parents to drive or walk their children to school, if possible.

It’s #BackToSchool for the EMSB today! pic.twitter.com/BPClt7sTMU

— English Montreal School Board (@EnglishMTL) August 31, 2020

In a new weekly newsletter shared with parents, the EMSB says it has ordered “large quantities” of medical equipment including masks, hand sanitizers, and disinfectants and says custodian services throughout its network will be cleaning surfaces “constantly.”

The school board says it will not be accepting donations of protective equipment in order to “maintain the control and quantity.”

The EMSB says it has received “a number of requests” from parents wanting the school board to put health measures in place that go beyond the guidelines currently set by the Public Health Department.

Visit the EMSB website for a full list of details, guides, and updates.