School Closure
Halton District School Board (HDSB) sent a letter to families of schools in the board yesterday with reminders about possible procedures for classes in January 2021. All advisements made by HDSB, they say, are in response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
The primary reminder of the letter is asking students to "take all their technology and instructional material home with them during the winter break." The reason? "This is to ensure students have the tools they need should we be directed to close schools," says HDSB, "and transition to virtual learning for all students based on advice from public health and/or the Ministry of Education."
Among other assurances, HDSB said they will continue to inform families and staff about confirmed cases of COVID-19 in schools over the winter break. Families are also advised to routinely check COVID-19 advisories on the HDSB website.
Another letter was sent early this morning by Ontario’s education minister Stephen Lecce and deputy minister Nancy Naylor, encouraging students and educators to "be prepared and bring home anything they might need should there be a need to shift to remote learning due to rising coronavirus cases."
"Our chief medical officer of health has confirmed that the transmission of COVID-19 in schools has remained low however, the public health environment in Ontario continues to evolve rapidly," that document says. "Be prepared for all scenarios."
These letters come amid today's announcement from the province of Ontario of a record-setting 2,432 new cases, including a high of 102 cases from Halton Region (the data for provincial reports is different from the timelines used by Halton Regional Health.)
No official announcement has yet been made about January closures by either HDSB or the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB). The winter break is currently scheduled to run from Saturday December 19, 2020 to Sunday January 3, 2021.
Read the full letter sent by the HDSB on their website here.
