LONDON, ONT. -- The Thames Valley District School Board is giving parents until Friday at noon to reconsider the options of either in-class or remote learning.

“The schedules have altered slightly especially for those in high school. So we know parents have some difficult decisions to make,” says TVDSB Director Mark Fisher.

Parent Patti Drouillard has one child going into Grade 7 and another going into Grade 10. She is still concerned about class sizes and the proximity between students.

“We don’t like the fact that for sure for elementary students that they are not the two metres apart.”

It’s a sentiment shared by the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.

“Teachers have actually set up their desks for the number of students they are expecting,” says Craig Smith, the local president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.

“The number they thought they were getting has actually increased now because of the decisions that are being made around the virtual school and the re-organization piece. You’ll have desks that are 30 centimetres apart not a metre.”

The discussion of using alternative classroom settings has been discussed in some parts of the province, but Fisher says it will use every inch of their own properties to lower class sizes as much as possible.

“We’ll be using libraries, we’ll be using gymnasiums, we’ll be using exterior outside spaces whenever possible.”

Jeff Racine is unsure of what to do with his son, who requires one-on-one help with his education.

“So I’m kind of iffy," he says. "Do I send him back to school? Or do I just try to suck it up and keep him home and try my best?”

Smith says the plan as it stands is doomed to fail, especially if more can’t be done to address the physical distancing issue in elementary schools.

“The plan we’ve got now are big classes in elementary, lots of points of contact, and I think for some the question is not if, but when, it falls apart.”

More than 95 per cent of Thames Valley families responded to the initial call to declare either in-class or remote learning, with over 12,000 students choosing the virtual school method.

If parents want to change their minds, the board says they have to contact their child’s school by noon on Friday.