BARRIE -- As students head home for March Break, they know it will be a while before they are back with their classmates.
On Thursday, the government ordered all publicly-funded schools to be closed until April 5.
In Simcoe County, the decision was welcomed by school board officials.
“When those measures came out last night, it was a sense of relief. It lets the whole province stop, pause and reset for the March Break and the two weeks after,” says Lonnie Bolton, superintendent of education with the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic School Board (SMCSB).
“It was a necessary measure someone had to take,” he adds.
Today, SMCSB’s officials had a meeting to figure out what comes next and what the school closures mean for their staff and students.
Bolton says that during the closures, no one would be in schools, including custodial staff and support workers.
The SMCSB’s psychological team has been posting recommendations to its website to help parents answer questions about Covid-19 and the extended school closure.
In the meantime, the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) says it also agrees with the closure.
“We understand that they are looking to avoid some of the other countries’ mistakes that have led to high outbreaks in this country and in our province, and we’re following their direction,” says Dawn Stephens, superintendent of education with the SCDSB.
The SCDSB says the ministry of education will provide parents with resources to help keep students up to date with the curriculum while out of the classroom.
