School holiday plans to be firmed up by end of week

Families will receive seven to 10 days’ notice, premier promises

Families should know by the end of this week if the province needs to again delay spring break because of COVID-19, says Premier Doug Ford, promising parents advance notice so they can make alternate plans if they need to.

The traditional school break, originally scheduled March 15 to 19, was bumped to April 12 to 16 over fears families would travel, or kids would congregate, fuelling a bump in COVID-19 cases similar to what happened following the December holiday break.

“God forbid we say we’re going to close it or we’re going to open it, and things change drastically,” Ford said Monday from Niagara Falls, where he made an unrelated tourism announcement for that region.

“We see the numbers going up at a rapid speed right now. At the end of the week, we’ll have a clear direction that will still give people at least a week to 10 days’ notice. But I understand people have to make plans” should the date change, he said.

Ford added that he, Education Minister Stephen Lecce and the chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, “will be keeping a sharp eye on it.”

Earlier in the day, Lecce said the medical officer of health has not yet suggested another date change, and that “our obligation is to make sure that students can remain in school — that’s the priority of the government, full stop.”

The Toronto District School Board, meanwhile, sent out a reminder to principals that they should be ready to move individual classes or their school to remote learning, should the need arise because of COVID-19 cases.

Its local education unions — representing 40,000 elementary and secondary teachers, and support staff — are urging that students learn online next week after the four-day Easter long weekend, followed by spring break and then “for at least a week after the spring break in order to keep schools as safe as possible.”

That kind of extended break would be similar to what happened after the December holiday, when cases were on the rise and schools moved to online learning for a few weeks across the province.

“We want schools to be open but we are worried that the long weekend and spring break each may lead to COVID transmission,” said Leslie Wolfe, president of the Toronto local of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation.

“A pivot to remote learning after the long weekend and after spring break will help to ensure safer schools.”

But Lecce said his ministry is “continuing to work with the chief medical officer of health to make sure that the April break is safe, that students and their parents continue to follow the rules … (and) not in any way compound transmission in the community” through travel or get-togethers.

He also said “stronger infection protection protocols” and enhanced screening will be in place when students return to school, with details to be released in the coming days.

“The closure of schools is very difficult on students, and we seek to avoid that,” Lecce said.

Moving the spring break would be detrimental to staff and students, warned Liz Stuart, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association.

“Any suggestion of postponing the much-needed break for students, teachers, education workers, and families is an offence to all those who are working hard to keep the education system going in spite of government mismanagement,” she said.