Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is urging the Ford government not to cancel March Break.
Andrea Horwath told reporters Monday morning that parents, students, and teachers are exhausted and need a break.
"Everybody is pretty burnt out," said Horwath. "They have been working very hard to try to hold it all together, but it's challenging."
Horwath, joined by NDP Education Critic Marit Stiles, said parents should not be left wondering about whether their children will get a break from the uncertainty that comes from school during the pandemic.
"It is a superhuman task -- that parents have been expected to stay on top of for a very long time now," she said referring to how many parents are juggling working at home with helping their children learn online, sometimes while caring for a pre-school aged child too. "There's a lot of anxiety that's building up, especially for kids, but for parents too."
March Break is still five weeks away, but Horwath stressed the need for a clear message from the provincial government is essential to keep case numbers low and save lives.
"[Premier Doug Ford] doesn't tell people, on the one hand, stay home during March Break and then, on the other hand, he's going up to his cottage," she explained pointing to last spring's controversy when the Premier visited his cottage during the lockdown.
Horwath also suggested the Ontario government could use the break to implement some of the initiatives it has been calling for since last summer, including a comprehensive testing program for COVID-19 in schools, classes capped at 15 students, and paid sick days for workers.
Back on February 1, Education Minister Stephen Lecce promised parents more precautions would be taken when schools reopened, but Horwath and Stiles insist they have seen no evidence the government is following through so far.
Lecce said he would have an announcement this week about whether March Break would be cancelled or not.