Letter from the Minister of Education to parents.
(PDF in French / PDF in English)
March 22, 2020
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am writing to you under unprecedented circumstances.
The government's top priority is to ensure the safety of all Ontarians, including our students and teachers. Working with our partners and all levels of government, we will take all necessary steps to meet this imperative.
Since we were informed of COVID-19, Ontario has been closely monitoring the situation to protect the health and well-being of all Ontarians. We have also taken aggressive steps to ensure the province is prepared for all scenarios.
That is why on March 12, 2020, on the advice of Dr. David Williams, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, I issued a Ministerial Order to close all publicly funded schools in the province until April 6, 2020. Our government has acted decisively by being one of the first jurisdictions in the industrialized world to close schools to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
We are also the first province in Canada to have declared an emergency. This declaration, under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, strengthens the province's ability to support our heroic front-line workers as they continue to meet this challenge head on.
Although this is a time of uncertainty, I hope that this letter can, in part, provide answers to some of the questions that many parents must be asking.
While this virus has been characterized and defined primarily in terms of its physical impact, we feel strongly that we must also consider and respond to the feelings of fear and anxiety that it creates in your children. In the case of our youngest students in particular, many of them and their parents have told us directly that these feelings are a result of the climate of uncertainty and media overexposure that is generating more questions than answers.
In the current climate, I encourage you to continue to talk openly with your children about COVID-19 and to recognize that their reactions to the situation, while emotional, are understandable and normal. There are many resources available to you and your children, including Kids Help Phone, Canada's only national 24/7 support service. The service provides professional advice, information and referrals, as well as volunteer-led texting support for kids in both English and French. Simply visit the website at www.jeunessejecoute.ca, call 1-800-668-6868 or text TALK to 686868.
The health and safety of your children is my priority, but I also know that many of you are wondering how we will ensure that students continue to learn without being in school.
To keep your children learning, our government is launching an online portal dedicated to preparing and organizing a wide variety of educational resources that students in grades K-12 can access.
This online portal, which is available at Ontario.ca/LearnAtHome [https://www.ontario.ca/fr/page/apprendre-la-maison], allows students in all grades to continue their learning without being in school.
These resources have been created by Ontario teachers and the resources for all grades are based on leading edge pedagogies. For secondary students, we provide easy access to online courses that are based directly on the Ontario curriculum.
Although publicly funded schools will remain closed until April 6, due to the rapidly changing situation related to COVID-19 we are preparing for the possibility of an extended closure.
Specifically, we are working hard to ensure that students can continue to take their courses and earn credits even when they are not in a school setting. Ontario is a leader in the availability and richness of online courses. We will continue to leverage these and other resources to support student learning and progression. We are working with school boards to ensure that students who do not currently have access to a computer are provided with the technology they need to participate in this form of learning.
We know that parents with children in their final year of school are concerned about their ability to graduate. We want to make it clear: no student will have their ability to graduate hampered by the two-week closure period due to COVID-19. As such, I have cancelled the EQAO assessments for this school year. I have also approved a change to exempt students in their final year of study from the requirement to pass the OSSLT. In addition, we are working with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development to ensure that students can apply to continue their education at the post-secondary level (whether they choose apprenticeship training or college/university) regardless of the situation this semester.
In the current climate, it is more important than ever that we take every precaution to ensure that when students return to the classroom, they are in a safe and healthy learning environment.
The Ministry of Education will ensure that all school boards have access to funding for robust cleaning of school facilities, child care centers and school buses. After the closure period, we will minimize the risks to students, learners and teachers.
In addition, it is important that those returning from travel outside of Canada follow the recommendations of Dr. David Williams, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, and place themselves and their families in voluntary isolation for 14 days from the date of arrival. They should stay home, avoiding contact with others to prevent the spread of the disease to family members who have not travelled with them and in the community.
If you think you or a family member may have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), or if you have been in close contact with someone who has, use the self-assessment tool at ontario.ca/coronavirus [https://www.ontario.ca/fr/page/nouveau-coronavirus-2019] to help you determine if you need further care. The site will also give you all the information you need to keep yourself and your family healthy and safe.
The Ontario government is committed to ensuring the safety of all Ontarians in these challenging times. Please know that as Minister of Education, I will make decisions based on scientific evidence and the best advice of health professionals, while always keeping the health and safety of your child in mind.
The situation is evolving and our work continues. We will continue to keep you informed.
Take care of yourself!
The Honourable Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education
