Province gives Hamilton green light to reopen schools Monday

This semester, Liam Tardif is taking science, personal fitness, carpentry and English - subjects he's looking forward to doing in-person starting on Monday.

It's definitely nice to go back and not sit looking at a screen all day," said Tardif, 16, a Grade 10 student at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, adding that what he's most looking forward to is being able to ask questions."

The province has given Hamilton school boards the green light to reopen classrooms on Monday.

The majority of Ontario school boards currently closed to in-person learning will be able to reopen starting Feb. 8 - three days earlier than the previous date provided by the province.

Boards in Toronto, Peel and York will remain closed until Feb. 16.

We know how critical getting kids back to school is for the mental health and development of our children," Education Minister Stephen Lecce said at news conference Monday afternoon. With the full support of the chief medical officer of health, and with the unanimous support of all local medical officers of health, Ontario is ready to reopen our schools because it is safe."

The majority of Hamilton students have been learning remotely since school began after winter break. Some students with special needs - and the teachers and educational assistants, among other staff, to support them - are currently attending physical classrooms.

The province announced on Jan. 12 that schools in the five hot spots would remain closed to in-person learning for the majority of students until at least Feb. 10 - about a month after they were initially set to reopen - under a 28-day stay-at-home order issued by the province in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. This was the second time this year the planned start date for Hamilton schools had been pushed back.

Since then, Hamilton school boards have been waiting to hear from the province whether students would return to classrooms on Feb. 11.

This return date is earlier than expected, and we know families and staff have questions," the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board said in a letter to families on Wednesday. The board says it will provide more information to families and staff in the coming days.

Our staff have been preparing for any possibility since we heard this announcement was coming," said Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board chair Dawn Danko, adding that the board will be hard at work getting ready for Monday. I believe many families will welcome the news."

Students in the public board who are transitioning from in-person to remote will be contacted by a staff member on Monday, so they won't have an official class on Monday," she said. Students transitioning from remote to in-person will continue in their virtual classrooms on Monday until they are assigned to a physical classroom.

Catholic board students switching learning models on the Feb. 22 transition date are required to fill out a survey, which will be sent to families on Friday, the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board said in a letter to families.

We're pleased for our students, staff and our students' families," said board chair Pat Daly. This has been very difficult, challenging for everyone, and we believe strongly that students are best off in school."

In a statement Wednesday evening, Hamilton's medical officer of health said she is supportive" of the decision to reopen schools in the city.

With case numbers coming down, Hamilton Public Health Services' capacity to support case and contact management improving, and our testing capacity functioning effectively, we agree with the sentiment that schools should be the first thing to reopen for the health of our children," Dr. Elizabeth Richardson said.

Schools in Halton, Brantford, Haldimand and Norfolk, among others, will also reopen for in-person learning on Monday.

Some students have thrived in online classrooms, citing the absence of school bullies, classroom distractions and academic anxiety, among other factors. But many more have struggled with remote learning, which has put added pressure on families in Hamilton.

Personally, I'm very excited," said Terrie Wilson, parent to five children - the youngest in JK and the oldest in Grade 11 - who works full-time in a dental office.

I think my kids need to go back, not just for the social aspect, but at least now I know that they'll be attending class when they're supposed to be."

She said after weeks of virtual learning, some of her kids have become accustomed to the luxuries afforded to at-home iPad learners.

A couple of them are excited, a couple of them are enjoying the laying around taking classes in bed," she said. It's mixed emotions here."

Kate McCullough is a Hamilton-based reporter covering education at The Spectator. Her work is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Reach her via email: kmccullough@thespec.com