A Bunch Of Ontario Schools Will Be Returning To In-Person Learning Next Week
Over 100,000 students have new back-to-school dates in Ontario after the government announced that more parts of the province can return to in-person learning.
In a statement emailed to Narcity on Wednesday, Ontario's Education Minister Stephen Lecce listed the seven public health units (PHUs) that will be permitted to open their elementary and secondary schools again on Monday, January 25.
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Getting students back into class is our top priority.
Stephen Lecce, Ontario's Minister of Education
These are the seven PHUs mentioned by Lecce:
- Grey Bruce Health Unit
- Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
- Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Health Unit
- Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Health Unit
- Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit
- Peterborough Public Health
- Renfrew County and District Health Unit
The students in Northern Ontario that were allowed to return to in-person learning on January 11 will stay in school unless otherwise indicated by the local PHU.
Schools in all other PHUs — including Ottawa, Windsor-Essex, Peel, Toronto, York, and Hamilton — will stay closed and students will continue to learn remotely.
"The Ministry of Education, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, will continue to closely monitor public health trends in these regions," the press release said.
Emergency child care will be extended to support those workers that require it, the province said.
The province also announced an additional $10 million investment in resources to support student mental health, and the province also re-iterated that Ontario's Support For Learner's program is still accepting applications.