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Planning Safe Online PE Programs - Communication

  • Ongoing communication between administrators/Teachers, students and parents/guardians is an important part of establishing a safe remote learning environment and a culture of safety mindedness.
    • Develop strategies to communicate with parents/guardians and students to identify, acknowledge and address any safety concerns during online learning in physical education.
  • School administrators, Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculum leaders and Teachers should also maintain an ongoing dialogue to ensure the processes and procedures are working and supports are available to maintain a safe online learning environment for all. Topics for discussions may include:
    • how students are feeling about participating in online learning and physical education;
    • administrators/staff feelings regarding the implementation of online physical education;
    • the impact of the online processes and procedures on the delivery of a quality physical education program;
    • current practices that are working and challenges that staff are experiencing;
    • resources needed to support occasional Teachers (for example, processes and procedures specific to online learning in physical education);
    • the school board procedures to follow if a student or parent/guardian reports an injury that occur during an online physical education activity including the incident reporting process and the concussion protocol for a suspected concussion.
  • School administrators and Teachers should work together to establish ongoing communication with:
    • Parents/Guardians
      • Communicate with parents/guardians about:
        • their thoughts and feelings related to online learning procedures and strategies to acknowledge and address concerns;
        • the school board’s cybersecurity and privacy policies and the strategies that will be used to maintain student safety;
        • the types of activities that will be included, and for each activity, the supervision requirements and the parents/guardians ability to support this requirement (to determine the type of supervision required for each activity consult the Ontario Physical Activity Safety Standards in Education (OPASSE) sport/activity pages);
        • how to access the safety information for physical education outlined in OPASSE;
        • how to establish a safe online learning environment for physical education both indoors and outdoors (consult “Facilities” within Processes and Procedures for more information);
        • appropriate clothing and footwear for participation both indoors and outdoors (for example, appropriate footwear must be a minimum requirement for participation in physical education. Appropriate footwear is a shoe designed for athletic activities with a sole that provides traction and is secured to the foot);
        • equipment that will be needed for the week, month, term (for example, appropriate size of equipment for the grade, alternative equipment that can be used to foster equitable participation);
        • the importance of determining that equipment from home is in good working order and is suitable for personal use;
        • the purpose of using the Sample S.A.F.E. Student Check-In before class begins (to do a safety check of the online learning environment) and the Sample S.A.F.E. Student Check-Out at the end of class (to review the information and indicate any areas of concerns that should be discussed with the Teacher);
        • the process to communicate with the Teacher/school regarding:
          • any changes in a student’s health (for example, medical conditions, injury, illness, concussions) or in the student’s ability to fully participate;
          • the procedures to follow if during an activity the student is injured or starts feeling ill.
    • Students
      • Communicate with students about:
        • their thoughts and feelings related to the online learning process and strategies to acknowledge and address concerns;
        • the school board’s cybersecurity and privacy policies and the strategies that will be used to maintain student safety;
        • specific roles and responsibilities for students related to safety (for example, identification of unsafe equipment/space and corrective actions that can be taken);
        • strategies that will contribute to a safe learning environment for students to participate online in physical education activities;
        • the types of activities that will be included, and for each activity, the supervision requirements, the potential risks and risk treatment strategies associated with the physical activities;
        • appropriate clothing and footwear for participation both indoors and outdoors (for example, appropriate footwear must be a minimum requirement for participation in physical education. Appropriate footwear is a shoe designed for athletic activities with a sole that provides traction and is secured to the foot);
        • using the Sample S.A.F.E. Student Check-In before class begins (to do a personal safety check of their online learning environment) and the Sample S.A.F.E. Student Check-Out at the end of class. Encourage students to discuss any areas of concerns with their parent/guardian and/or Teacher;
        • the process to communicate with their parents/guardian/caregiver/Teacher regarding:
          • concerns about their safety (for example, physical, emotional, social); and
          • the procedures to follow if during an activity they are injured or start feeling ill.