COVID-19 - OPSBA

The coronavirus/COVID-19 situation in Ontario is fluid. In every school board, the health and safety of all students, staff and school communities is the top priority.

In September 2020, schools across Ontario reopened. Ontario’s plan to reopen schools provided options for parents – to send their children in-class or to enter online remote learning. Elementary schools (Kindergarten to Grade 8) reopened provincewide, with in-class instruction five days a week. Secondary schools with lower risk reopened with a normal daily schedule, five days a week, while most secondary schools started the school year in an adapted model of part-time attendance with class cohorts of up to 15 students alternating between attending in-person and online.

Students from Grades 1 to 12 and school staff are now required to wear masks, although many boards have made masks mandatory for all students from kindergarten to Grade 12. School boards were given some flexibility to tweak class sizes using reserve funds and other health and safety measures in their return-to-school plans.

All publicly funded schools in Ontario were closed to in-person learning following the 2020-21 winter break as part of the provincewide shutdown, with elementary students originally scheduled to study virtually until January 11, 2021. However, the return to in-person learning was staggered across the province. As of February 16, all school boards in Ontario once again offered in-person learning, but students are now learning remotely across the province as of April 19, following the one-week break.

*The information above is subject to change at any time. Please visit the Ministry of Education website or your local school board website for the latest information.

COVID-19 Management Plan for Schools

On August 26, the government released the Operational Guidance: COVID-19 Management in Schools document. This guide was developed in consultation with public health experts, including Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, and aims to help schools identify and isolate COVID-19 cases, reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools, and prevent and minimize outbreaks.

March 25 Letter to Minister Lecce regarding the vaccination of education workers

OPSBA’s February 9 statement on March Break

OPSBA’s February 3 statement on the reopening of schools

OPSBA’s January 7 statement on the continuation of elementary virtual learning in southern Ontario

OPSBA’s December 21 statement regarding the provincial lockdown beginning December 26, 2020

OPSBA’s November 26 statement regarding additional COVID-19 support for school boards

OPSBA’s October 28 statement in response to the launch of the COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream

OPSBA’s August 14 statement regarding the use of reserve funds to address increased costs

OPSBA’s July 30 statement regarding the plan to reopen schools

OPSBA’s July 16 news release regarding public polling done with Nanos

OPSBA’s June 19 statement regarding the plan to reopen schools

OPSBA’s Submission to the Ministry of Education regarding Ontario’s Plan to Reopen Schools

Ministry of Education Operational Guidance During COVID-19: Child Care Reopening

School boards continue to work with and take direction from their local public health units and are sharing information with their board communities with facts and recommendations for reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza. Public health units are advising members of the public to reduce the risk of transmission of respiratory illness. These measures include:

wearing a face mask if in public and unable to properly socially distance, and in most indoor spaces;
get a yearly influenza vaccination this fall, available from clinics and pharmacies;
wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer;
cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze;
if you don’t have a tissue, sneeze or cough into your sleeve or arm; and
stay home if you are ill.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Support and Protection Act

To assist the education sector, municipalities, and students during the COVID-19 emergency, on April 14, Ontario passed the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Support and Protection Act in the Ontario Legislative Assembly, amending the Education Act, Planning Act, Development Charges Act, Police Services Act and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act.

The changes are as follows:

Amending the Education Act will allow school boards with an expiring education development charge (EDC) by-law to use their existing by-law for an additional six months after the end of the COVID-19 outbreak, so they can continue to charge fees on new construction. This change ensures school boards can retain a vital source of revenue that helps support new school projects. This amendment aligns with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s approach to development charges that are expiring during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Education Act is also being amended to provide a fair and consistent, provincewide approach to addressing school suspensions and expulsions. During the closure period and with the physical distancing requirements, it is not feasible for boards to complete investigations and hold expulsion hearings. To guarantee procedural fairness for students, especially where the principal’s investigation may lead to a recommendation for an expulsion hearing, the amendment extends the timeline for principals and boards to carry out investigations and expulsion hearings for these students up to 20 school days after the school closure order ends, and when schools re-open. The amendment will help protect the safety and security of students and staff upon the reopening of schools.

Report from the K-12 (Accessibility) Standards Committee Working Group – Planning for Emergencies & Safety

This interim report, released in August 2020, focuses on the impacts on students with disabilities of returning to school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the full report

Read the letter from the Working Group to Ministers Lecce and Cho