Schools boards in Ontario are warning students to empty lockers ahead of winter break

Amid rising cases of COVID-19 in the province, a number of Ontario school boards are asking students to take home their personal belongings in the event of a possible switch to remote learning following the winter break.

The Toronto District School Board said in a memo that it is recommending the move “out of an abundance of caution,” and that it has not received any indication from the province’s Ministry of Education or Toronto Public Health that schools will close.

Students also will be sent home with a rapid antigen test kit, with five tests, over the break between Dec. 20 and Jan. 3.

Officials with the Waterloo Region’s public and Catholic school boards say they are preparing for a possible move to remote learning next year.

The Waterloo Region District School Board and Waterloo Catholic District School Board have told students to take home any necessary items ahead of the winter break, which is scheduled to run from Dec. 17 to Jan. 2.

The York Region District School Board said in a winter break message to families that it is working on a plan to reopen schools in January, but is prepared to move to virtual learning if the province makes the announcement, The Canadian Press reports.

And in London, Ont., the Thames Valley District School Board sent a letter to families also advising children to empty their lockers and take belongings home before Friday in the event schools move to remote learning in January.

ATLANTIC CANADA

Meanwhile, all four Atlantic provinces have identified cases of the Omicron variant, with some adjusting their winter breaks and considering possible changes to their back-to-school plans.

In Nova Scotia, the province’s education department announced on Wednesday that public school students would begin their holiday break early, with classes ending Friday.

Officials previously announced that the holiday break would be extended by two days to Jan. 6.

The department says a small number of schools have had to move to at-home learning, with others possibly doing so, as well, before Friday.

Multiple schools have reported COVID-19 exposures in recent weeks, but to date, seven have introduced enhanced public health measures, two of which have been lifted as of Wednesday. However, enhanced public health measures came into effect Tuesday, including no assemblies or holiday concerts and limiting school sports to team skills training only.

The province has linked hundreds of recent COVID-19 cases to an outbreak at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., although the provincial government has said symptoms have been relatively mild, most involving young people who are fully vaccinated. A number of tightened public health restrictions will go into effect in the province on Friday, including new indoor and outdoor gathering limits.

Cases in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have been tied to the outbreak at St. Francis Xavier University, according to The Canadian Press.

New Brunswick’s Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said Wednesday that children will be given take-home rapid testing kits as part of a “holiday testing blitz.”

Students in Kindergarten to Grade 6 will receive two kits, with five tests each, while students in Grade 7 to 12 will receive one kit, allowing children and teens to do rapid tests every two to three days over the break, Shephard said.

Meanwhile, the province’s Education Minister Dominic Cardy said a more rigorous rapid testing program will be in place for the rest of the school year.

Public health officials in Prince Edward Island are expected to make a recommendation in early January on whether to reopen schools.

With files from The Canadian Press