More Ontario schools reopen for in-person learning after snowstorm

More schools across Ontario are set to reopen for in-person classes today.

Boards in some parts of the province including Windsor and Thunder Bay saw schools open on Monday after a two-week period of remote learning.

But the plan was set back for students and teachers in other areas of the province, including the Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa areas, because heavy snow halted school bus services on Monday.

Several boards in the Toronto area, like the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the York Region District School Board, said classes will go ahead remotely through online learning today. 

But the Toronto District School Board said there would be no live remote or virtual learning, either, noting in an online post that 36 of its schools still need to have snow removed from their roofs — a task it said couldn’t be completed Monday due to poor weather and road conditions.

Class are resuming with limited information about COVID-19 cases in schools.

The province has stopped sharing that case counts because PCR tests for the virus is now limited to those considered most high-risk for an infection, so most teachers and students can’t access them.

Teachers’ unions have warned families to brace for disruptions from anticipated staff shortages caused by the highly infectious Omicron variant.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 18, 2021.

The Canadian Press