Toronto teens will attend high school every day for half a day, taking two courses at a time in classes of 15.

They won’t eat lunch there, can’t use their lockers and all sports are on hold.

Details of what schools will look like starting this September are part of a final report that Toronto District School Board trustees will receive Tuesday before it is submitted to the education ministry.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce has directed all boards to hand in their plans for reopening schools safely this fall — and those plans must include mandatory masks for students starting in Grade 4, as well as improved hand hygiene and more frequent school cleaning. He also announced that all elementary students will attend full-time, as will most secondary students.

However, high school students in large urban public and Catholic boards like Toronto, Peel, York, Halton and Durham — as well as Ottawa, Hamilton and Waterloo, among others — will be be in class, in person half-time in smaller “cohorts” or groupings.

The Toronto public board will use the “quadmester” schedule, where teens take two classes at a time — one each half-day — and then learn remotely for the other half of the day.

“I am looking forward to going back to school and getting my education on track,” said 15-year-old Danny Assimakopoulos, who attends Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute in Scarborough.

“We’re going to be taking a lot of the course material in school, which will help a lot,” he said. “When we do our learning that’s not in school, we’re going to have a lot more direction, and more of a sense of what we’re supposed to do.”

Before coming to school, staff and students are expected to self-screen and not attend if they have any symptoms, and they’ll undergo a second assessment when they arrive.

Teens are to stay two metres apart, and “floors will be marked with stickers to designate a one-way traffic flow and identifying two-metre distances,” says the Toronto board report.

“Signage will be placed throughout the building to reinforce safety protocols. Where physical distancing is not possible in school offices and public reception areas, we will review alternative methods of separation such as plexiglass barriers. Our goal is to maintain physical distancing whenever possible.”

The board will also limit use of the library as well as the number of kids in the hallway at any given time.

While the province caused some controversy about keeping elementary class sizes as is — which can be up to 30 students in kindergarten, capped at 20 from Grades 1 to 3 and an average of about 25 from Grades 4 to 8 — the board has pledged to try to keep classes as small as possible.

In kindergarten, the play-based programming will continue, with both a teacher and early childhood educator in the room.

Children from Grades 1 through 8 will remain with their class for the whole day, including recess and lunch, the board says.

They are being urged to wear masks, though it’s not a requirement.

In high school, the first “quad” begins Sept. 8 and ends Nov. 9, followed by two days of exams.

The Toronto Catholic board is also leaning towards the quadmester model, saying if the COVID situation in the new year has improved it could easily switch to a normal semester in February.

Regardless, teens will be able to earn the typical eight credits in the 2020-21 school year.

“I think parents need to keep in mind that this is just the first part of this — it hasn’t been fully operationalized yet,” said Toronto board Chair Robin Pilkey.

“Staff have worked very hard on this, and I understand that there are still outstanding questions, but I think that in the upcoming weeks we’ll have more information as we’re able to build it up stronger.”

Last week, the provincial government announced an additional $309 million in funding. Pilkey said the Toronto board needs $22.5 million over the next four months, for masks, personal protective equipment, as well as additional staff.

“The government has indicated that there is funding and that they’ll do what they need to do,” she said. “If there isn’t enough funding, they’ll have to find more.”

The Toronto Catholic District School Board has yet to make its final plan public.

“Parents have a thousand questions, and there are no answers right now,” said Trustee Maria Rizzo. “I would be anxious, just like parents are anxious, about what is going to happen in September.”