Elementary students in southern Ontario won’t be returning to class Monday as planned.
Today, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Williams said the decision was made due to rising case counts and community spread across the province to continue remote learning for all students until January 25th.
“So, with much reluctance, I have asked, and (it’s been) agreed by the Premier and cabinet and the ministers to say ‘ok we will defer opening in southern Ontario’, ” said Williams.
A release from the Province further explains that returning students to school now with community transmission and positivity rates so high risks losing the hard-fought progress made in keeping schools and students safe.
Premier Doug Ford said there has been a 116-per-cent increase in the COVID-19 positivity rate among children aged 13 and younger compared to the rate recorded before the holiday season.
Due to the province-wide lockdown, elementary students were due to return to in-class learning on Monday, while secondary students were supposed to join them on the 25th, but now all of them are due back to school that same day.
Financial support is also available for families during this temporary remote learning period through the Support for Learners program. Starting on January 11, 2021, an expanded Support for Learners program is providing $200 for each child or youth up to Grade 12 and $250 for each child or youth up to age 21 with special needs. Applications will be open until February 8, 2021.
For those requiring additional support during this challenging period, Ontario is providing an additional $10 million in support of student mental health, including funding for Kids Help Phone to support children and youth across the province. School Mental Health Ontario will be providing mental health resources and strategies to support students during this period.
For more details, please click here.
Ontario is delaying the return of in-person learning for elementary students in southern Ontario until Jan 25.
Home-based childcare & childcare centres, including emergency childcare for eligible health care & frontline safety workers, will remain open.https://t.co/jyOiXYKzpb pic.twitter.com/Vf6RtFKUCN
— Education Ontario (@ONeducation) January 7, 2021
Joint statement here with @fordnation, @celliottability, Dr. Williams, and myself: https://t.co/exwIbVkDIN
— Stephen Lecce (@Sflecce) January 7, 2021