BARRIE, ONT. -- The province has announced financial aid aimed at helping schools cope with COVID-19.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce says $200-million is being set aside for mental health and special education programs.
The education minister says the Support for Students fund will be used in the 2020/21 school year, with funds set aside for technology.
He added a plan would be released soon about classes resuming in the fall and what that could look like, saying safety the priority.
"We're going to ensure that our school boards are planning for all potential scenarios in the fall," Lecce said.
"What we have learned over the past months is we have to be ready for in-class instruction, for online instruction, and some sort of adaptive instruction when it comes to schools, and so, we're going to be requesting our boards to come up with plans to respond to all the circumstances that can arise in the fall," he added.
The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) submitted 40 recommendations to the province to ensure the health, safety, and "quality of learning."
"This spring, the disparity in accessing learning resources has deepened inequities and had an impact on student learning outcomes," said ETFO President Sam Hammond. "That's going to carry over to the 2020-21 school year. There's going to be a longer than normal transition period at the beginning of the year."
In addition, ETFO suggested school boards address accessibility concerns regarding plans to reopen schools.
"The challenges as schools prepare to reopen will vary from one community to the next. We're recommending that the Ministry provide broad guidelines and principles so that school boards, in consultation with local unions, can create plans that fit their local circumstances," said Hammond.
On Wednesday, officials with SickKids Hospital released recommendations for the safe return of students that put more emphasis on hand hygiene than wearing masks or physical distancing.
