A fully digital registration process is up and running eliminates the need for an in-person visit to schools for students in the Near North District School Board.
"The transition to an online system was initially put in place to eliminate the need for parents to attend schools to register their kindergarten students," says a Board news release. "In light of NNDSB’s COVID-19 protocols relating to in-person visits, the board wanted a process that kept in-person contact to a minimum."
Superintendent Gay Smylie notes that COVID-19 has created many opportunities for NNDSB to provide innovative solutions to problems that previously did not exist. Since the pandemic began a year ago, parents haven't been able to register their children in the usual way.
Parents and guardians are able to send digital copies of student identification. The new practice helps keep people safe and makes the process more accessible for families that may lack transportation to the school, or the ability to print and scan.
“An online registration format provides inclusive options for parents to register right from the comfort of their own homes as well as submit and sign required documents electronically,” says Smylie.
The new online process is for use by anyone who has children to register, regardless of age or grade. Students transferring from out of the area or from other boards will register using this same process.
Once a parent confirms student eligibility at a particular school, they can access the new registration forms in one of three ways:
- a fillable PDF or Word document can be downloaded, completed, and emailed to the appropriate secretary right from your computer or phone
- a printer-friendly the Word document can be downloaded, printed off, filled out, and either scanned and emailed, or mailed to the appropriate secretary
- the secretary of the school can mail out or prepare for pickup a registration package to families who would prefer to use paper copies
If submitting the form electronically, the parent will send it to the appropriate secretary. Secretary names and email addresses can be found on the Find Your School page of the board’s website.
