Most Toronto schools will reopen for in-person learning Wednesday
Toronto’s two biggest schools boards will reopen for in-person learning tomorrow following a massive winter storm that kept its buildings shuttered for an additional two days.
The Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon.
The TDSB cited the “significant progress” the city has made in clearing major roads and side streets as the primary factor in its decision.
The board also noted that the “vast majority” of its schools have now been plowed, with that work expected to continue into tomorrow morning.
“While delays are still possible, students and staff will more easily be able to travel to schools/sites given significant plowing operations underway in the GTA,” the board said in a memo to parents.
Schools were closed for in-person learning for the first two weeks of January amid the spread of the Omicron variant.
They were initially supposed to reopen on Monday but a major winter storm that dumped 36 centimetres of snow on the city interrupted those plans.
On Tuesday boards across the GTA were closed for a second straight day as the cleanup from the storm continued.
Some boards offered remote learning but the TDSB abandoned plans to do so after staff found that it "didn't go over well" on Monday, according to spokesperson Ryan Bird.
The Toronto Student Transportation Group said school buses will be running, but that there may be delays as some buses and yards are still being cleared. It advised families to check for possible delays in the morning.
The York Region District School Board said Tuesday evening that it is also “looking forward to welcoming students back to class tomorrow.”
The Peel District School Board and Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board said in-person learning will resume for those registered for that option Wednesday.
Halton District School Board said kids in its system will return to in-person learning as well.
In a tweet, Durham District School Board said “we anticipate that schools will be open,” but advised that there could be delays in getting to schools. The Durham Catholic District School Board said that it is “optimistic” schools will reopen Wednesday, but said it will advise families as it gets more information.
Lecce and Moore release open letter to parents
Tomorrow will mark the first day that public school students in Toronto are able to partake in in-person classes since Dec. 21.
Ahead of the broader return for students across most of Ontario, Education Minister Stephen Lecce and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore released a joint letter to parents outlining some of the steps the government is taking to ensure a safe return to school, including the distribution of 3.9 million rapid antigen tests to school boards this week.
Lecce and Moore also said that some parents will receive a form in the coming days offering them the opportunity to have their children vaccinated at a school-based clinic during instructional hours.
Those “targeted clinics” are taking place at select schools chosen by public health units.
“We are taking nothing for granted,” the letter states. “Health and safety in our schools and child care settings remains a top priority and we continue to monitor to ensure that every precaution is taken to protect children, students and staff and to keep our schools and child care setting as safe as they can be.”
The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board has said that all of its schools in Clarington will be closed for a third straight day on Wednesday as the cleanup from the storm continues.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
What Michael Cohen said on the stand in Trump hush money case
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
Behind the barricades: How protesters spend their first days in a new encampment
Students in Montreal describe life in a newly erected encampment in Montreal as a whirlwind of preparations, from facing rain and a potential police crackdown to setting up a space for the exchange of ideas.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Next 48 hours will be 'extremely challenging' for B.C. wildfire crews near Fort Nelson: officials
A wildfire burning dangerously close to Fort Nelson, B.C., has grown to more than 50 square kilometres, and officials are warning that the blaze's behaviour is expected to become more volatile over the next 48 hours.
Southern Ont. man charged with attempted murder in Timmins shooting
One of two men wanted for attempted murder in Timmins has been arrested, while a warrant has been issued for a second suspect, who fled police on foot.