Ford Moves Ontario Schools Online Just One Day After Education Minister Says They're Safe

If you're confused by the province's messaging, you're not alone.
Contributor

On Monday, Ford's government announced that all Ontario schools would move to remote learning after April break.

This announcement came only one day after Education Minister Stephen Lecce claimed that schools were safe and would remain open.

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As per Monday's announcement, all elementary and secondary schools in the province will move to remote learning when students return from the April break on April 19, 2021.

"Bringing our kids back to a congregate setting in schools, after a week off in the community, is a risk that I won't take," said Premier Ford.

As of April 12, almost 27% of schools in Ontario are reporting COVID-19 cases.

Stephen Lecce assured Ontarians schools are safe

On Sunday, April 11, Stephen Lecce posted an open letter to his social media, assuring Ontarians that schools remain safe.

Lecce listed precautions being taken by schools, including screening, enhanced cleaning measures, asymptomatic testing, additional COVID-19 training sessions and the directive to hold classes outdoor when possible.

He encouraged staff and students to take part in asymptomatic testing during April break before heading back to class.

Just over 24 hours later, Doug Ford announced that, due to an increase in cases and hospitalizations across Ontario, schools would move to remote learning after April break.

  • Abby Neufeld was a writer at Narcity Canada. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Professional Communications at the University of Victoria. Her past work has been published in The Toronto Star, Bitch Media, Canadian Dimension, This Magazine, and more. In 2019, Abby co-founded The New Twenties, an environmentally-focused literary and arts magazine.

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