Ontario’s education minister has announced the postponement of March Break.
At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Stephen Lecce announced that the spring break will be held the week of April 12. He said the decision was made in consultation with Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams.
“It is critical we follow public health advice to protect schools and avoid a repeat of the concerning spike in youth-related cases over the winter break, when students and staff were out of schools for a prolonged period of time,” Lecce said. “We are taking this precaution based on advice from health experts, including the province’s Science Table and the Chief Medical Officer of Health, to help protect against the emerging COVID-19 variants of concern.”
Lecce said said he recognizes that this is one more change in a year that has been challenging for so many students and education staff, but it is one made on the best advice of public health officials to keep them safe, and to keep schools open.
"As Ontario's chief medical officer of health said, our schools have remained safe for kids and this move is intended to keep them that way," said Lecce. "We know that [schools] have been closed for some time due to that high spike in community transmission over the winter break, and we'd rather not repeat that. We want to make sure that when we get these kids back, [schools] stay open."
The move is not going over well with Ontario’s teachers unions. The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, and the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens released a joint statement Thursday afternoon opposing the postponement.
“These are unprecedented times, and this is a much-needed break for students, teachers, education workers, and families who have been under tremendous pressure throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The government’s decision to postpone March Break does not take into consideration the mental health and well-being of those involved,” the statement said. “This decision demonstrates their lack of understanding about the stress and pressures of learning and working in a pandemic. Teachers and education workers have gone to extraordinary lengths to teach and support students every day since the start of the school year, whether in person or online.”