BARRIE, ONT. Simcoe Muskoka students will not return to in-person learning on Monday. The province announced Wednesday that over 100,000 students across Ontario could return to school, but online learning will continue for the rest of southern Ontario. Pauline Stevenson, communications manager with Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board, said the announcement was disappointing. Our primary concern at this point is that students continue to make daily connections with their school. We know that some students struggle in this remote learning environment - they may have academic difficulties, but equally concerning are issues related to mental health and wellness. Stevenson adds that the board would reach out to parents once they have more details from the ministry of education.
Over 100,000 Ontario Students Return to Class Beginning Next week.
Today (Jan 20), Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, provided an update on which schools can resume for in-person learning, saying this:
“On the advice from the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the government is allowing seven public health units and over 100,000 students to return to class on Monday, January 25th.
Getting students back into class is our top priority. According to Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and leading medical and scientific experts, including the Hospital for Sick Children, Ontario’s schools are safe places for learning.
To ensure schools remain safe, the government is introducing additional measures including provincewide targeted asymptomatic testing, enhanced screening, mandatory masking for students in Grades 1-3 and outdoors where physical distancing cannot be maintained.”
In-person learning remains suspended across GTA, other PHUs to see students return to class Monday
by Lucas Casaletto
Last Updated Jan 20, 2021 at 9:24 pm EDT
Elementary students are tentatively slated to return to their classrooms on January 11. Jerry Wang
Ontario’s Education Minister says over 100,000 students from multiple Public Health Units (PHUs) including Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge, and Peterborough Public Health, among others, will return for in-person learning next week.
“On the advice from the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the government is allowing seven public health units and over 100,000 students to return to class on Monday, January 25,” Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in a statement.
/ PTBO Today
Jan 7, 2021 4:09 PM
Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board’s Chair thinks extending online learning to January 25th is the right call.
Diane Lloyd says it’s the best way to keep students, staff and families safe.
The province says testing done among students and staff in December confirmed that schools are not a significant source of transmission, but with students at home for several weeks, the positivity rate among school-aged children has increased sharply.
Lloyd adds that she understands the frustration that some parents may have about this decision, but believes ultimately they understand why it had to be made.
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