Students in Ontario will not be returning to in-class learning next week.
Premier Doug Ford says due to the spread of COVID-19 variants in the community, a decision has been made to move to remote learning province-wide.
“I know this is not what many of you want to hear,” said Ford. “Minister Lecce and his team have done an incredible job keeping the schools safe. But until we get the numbers in the community down to where we need them, the problem is not in our schools it is in the community.”
Ford says they will keep an eye on the data and hospital admissions in order to determine when it is safe for kids to return to classrooms.
He says childcare for non-school-aged children will continue, as well as free emergency childcare for frontline and healthcare workers, but before and after school programs will be closed.
Private schools operating in-person this week are to transition to remote learning by April 15th.
“This was not a decision we made lightly, as we know how critical schools are to Ontario students,” says Education Minister Stephen Lecce. “Our priority has always been to keep schools open, however sharply rising community transmission can put our schools and Ontario families at risk. While Ontario’s plan has kept schools safe, as confirmed by the Chief Medical Officer of Health, we are taking decisive and preventative action today to ensure students can safely return to learning in our schools.”
For more details, please click here.
To watch the Province’s full April 12th update, see below.
After April break, students will move to remote learning to help stop the spread of #COVID19.https://t.co/4mSeEGt1Yh#KeepingKidsSafe pic.twitter.com/Xa7bsfCUjf
— Education Ontario (@ONeducation) April 12, 2021
https://www.facebook.com/FordNationDougFord/videos/960917851402076
Keeping children SAFE is what matters most.
In consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, and in response to rising community transmission, SCHOOLS will move to REMOTE LEARNING following the April Break.
Learn more:https://t.co/2y95TaQhmi pic.twitter.com/KcfVyG1Nt4
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) April 12, 2021
While schools remain safe as confirmed by the Chief Medical Officer of Health, sharply rising transmission puts that all at risk.
Schools will move to remote learning as a preventative action to protect families & to ensure students get back into class.https://t.co/GeHjyonMcf pic.twitter.com/PwdLj37p8u
— Stephen Lecce (@Sflecce) April 12, 2021