THUNDER BAY - Students in schools across Ontario, including Thunder Bay, are being advised to take home any learning materials before the winter break as a precaution in the event of switching to online learning in January.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Education sent out a memo to school boards in the province, “recommending that boards encourage students and staff to take home any materials that they may require for remote learning before they leave school for the holiday period so that we can continue to be ready for all scenarios.”
The Lakehead Public School Board and the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board in Thunder Bay have received the directives but say it is a precaution only.
According to Dr. Janet DeMille, medical officer of health with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, there is no decision on whether or not schools will be moving to online learning in the new year.
“They have been advised to have their students take home certain materials because there is lack of clarity right now with return to school following the holidays,” she said. “As I understand, no particularity decision has been made in that regard.”
In the province, there are 955 schools with a reported case of COVID-19, 1,826 cases reported in Ontario schools in the last 14 days, and more than 7,000 cumulative cases associated with schools.
Thunder Bay area schools have fared rather well in terms of COVID-19 cases, DeMille said, with several facilities with the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board reporting cases resulting in some class cohorts being sent home and a school in Marathon declaring an outbreak.
“I think schools have done very well,” DeMille said. “Some of them have been in challenging situations and I know it causes great concerns to parents and families and staff when there is a case. But we’ve learned and they have learned with each case we have had.”
Schools across the province were shut down last spring during the early stages of the pandemic. The decision to close schools is made by the province and the Ministry of Education has not indicated if learning will return to online only in January.
