Ontario students won’t be back at school until at least May, senior government source says

Ontario students won’t be back in the classroom until at least May, a senior source inside the provincial government tells CBC News.

Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce are scheduled to make an announcement this afternoon as the province works to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

Students throughout Ontario have been out of class since March 14, after Lecce issued a ministerial order to keep publicly-funded schools closed for two additional weeks after March Break.

Private schools were also closed a few days later as part of the province’s emergency declaration.

Schools were initially set to re-open on April 6, but both Ford and Lecce have conceded that the closures would need to be prolonged as the number of COVID-19 cases in Ontario continues to increase.

The province has not said how much longer it expects to keep schools closed.

The Canadian Press reports Lecce is expected to announce an extended e-learning plan for the province’s students during COVID-19 school closures.

The government has been looking at ways to keep course work going while school closures continue, including through online classes.

The director of education at the province’s largest school board told parents Monday night they are developing a plan to connect teachers to students and “restore teacher-led learning to the greatest extent possible as of April 6.”

TDSB’s John Malloy says staff have been trying to determine more information about the devices and internet access families have in the meantime.

CBC