Ontario to release full back-to-school plan for in-person learning in July
Ontario will be releasing their fall school plans in July, according to the province’s education minister.
Stephen Lecce made the comment Thursday afternoon, saying the final guidance on COVID-19 regarding in-person learning will come from the chief medical officer of health.
“With respect to the final guidance, I've always said the chief medical officer of health, in July, is going to make an assessment of our COVID vaccine rates for students and staff, as well as the broader public health indicators, where the COVID case numbers are, and the trajectory we're on. That was the plan for last year, it's what we're doing this year,” he said.
Lecce said that he has spoken with the current Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams, as well as Dr. Kieran Moore who will be taking over the role, and they both reaffirmed the July timeline.
“They believe in July, we'll be able to provide that final guidance with the aim of a more normal, more positive, and more interactive school experience for children that is fully in class, where we believe children belong.”
Some Ontario school boards have already released a partial plan for September that would see the “quadmester" system for high schoolers come to an end.
The Toronto District School Board and Halton District School Board have told parents there will be a modified cohorting system in which students take four courses and alternate between what two classes they have each week.
Lecce added that his government approves the modified cohorting plan for the fall.
“But let's be clear, the approval of that plan is always predicated on the chief medical officer of health office giving us the green light,” he said.
For the 2020-2021 school year, high school students took two courses at a time for about nine weeks, with a mix of in-person and online learning. The government has previously said that remote learning will remain an option for the next school year.
The back-to-school comments were made following an announcement of a “new four-year-strategy to recruit, train and retain more French teachers.”
Lecce said that the government expects the demand for French-language teachers to grow over the next five years.
The strategy will involve a $12.5 million investment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.