A report in the Toronto Star indicates students across Ontario will move to in-class learning on Monday, January 17, 2022.
The Star story says Premier Doug Ford’s office confirmed students would be heading back to class “as planned and announced” on the 17th.
Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, will be joined by Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health, to make an announcement on preparations underway for the return to in-person learning.
The press conference is slated for Wednesday, January 12, 2021 at 1:30 p.m.
On January 3, 2022, provincial officials said all publicly funded and private schools would move to remote learning starting January 5 until at least January 17, subject to public health trends and operational considerations.
“We will continue to work closely with the Chief Medical Officer of Health to keep our communities safe and ensure that Ontario students get back to in-person learning as soon as possible,” Lecce said in a media release at the time.
On Monday, Minister Lecce said the Province reached an agreement with the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) to nearly double the number of days a retiree can work.
“We are seeing staff shortages impacting all sectors of the economy,” Minister Lecce said, in a press release issued on Monday, January 10, 2022.
“Well before Omicron came to Ontario, school boards were reporting high rates of absenteeism from education staff. We need staff in order to continue providing live teacher-led remote learning and safely operate our schools when students return to in-person learning. That is why we have now secured an agreement with the Ontario Teachers’ Federation that will deliver access to thousands of teacher-qualified educators that will help keep schools open and safe.”
Minister Lecce added: “This is being done as we continue to make the teaching and learning environment as safe as possible. We went above public health requirements and are providing non-fitted N95 masks as an optional alternative for all staff, accelerated access to booster shots for education and child care staff, and are supporting school-focused vaccination clinics, and continue to make ventilation improvements in schools across Ontario. These measures are both part of our proactive planning to limit learning disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Local schools boards have yet to release any information about a return to class for January 17, 2022.
We’ll provide more details once they become available.
