The back-to-school season is in full swing this week across Canada. But this year, especially in a province like Ontario where in-class learning is completely optional, returning to school looks very different depending on your income and background.

While on one end of the income spectrum, some parents are investing in “learning pods,” on the other, many are keeping their kids home to study online because high COVID-19 rates in their neighbourhoods leave them with few other options.

Today on Front Burner, Globe and Mail reporters Dakshana Bascaramurty and Caroline Alphonso on those disparities, and what they might mean for the public education system more widely.