Bluewater School Board Executive Director Alana Murray says she isn't surprised by the Province's announcement that school will not reopen this year.
Minister of Education Stephen Lecce announced Tuesday all publicly funded schools in Ontario will remain closed for the rest of the current school year due to the ongoing efforts to combat COVID-19.
“We did anticipate that in all likelihood it would be delayed until the fall.” says Murray.
“If you track the metrics and I do on a daily basis in what's happening federally and provincially, I think the writing was on the wall that Ontario would be delaying the reentry of schooling.”
Bluewater District School Board will not reopen until the start of the 2020 – 2021 school year in September, or as determined by the provincial government.
Licensed child care centres and EarlyON programs will also remain closed with the exception of emergency child care spaces that are currently being offered to health care and other frontline workers.
Murray says “I know that this news may come as a disappointment for many of our students, staff, and families, who were hoping for a return in June so that the school year could be finished in a more traditional fashion.”
She adds, “At the very least, I hope that this decision to extend the closure period until the end of the school year will alleviate some of the uncertainty that has been lingering and help us to move forward in planning our next steps.”
Students will still be able to complete the school year and receive their final report cards.
Secondary students who were on track to graduate prior to the closure of schools will also be able to graduate.
Murray says in the meantime, the board will keep moving forward with distance learning.
Murray says plans are also being developed for optional enhanced summer school and summer learning programs that students may wish to participate in to keep their learning active until school resumes.
She says there are also a number of questions regarding arrangements for students to retrieve their belongings. Murray says they're working with local public health officials to come up with a way to do that.
View today's letter to parents/guardians from Minister of Education Stephen Lecce regarding the provincial government's decision that schools will remain closed until the end of June: https://t.co/4JGXe6T0ZR pic.twitter.com/EPLJNgubch
— Bluewater DSB (@BluewaterDSB) May 19, 2020