Published Tuesday, November 17, 2020 12:29PM EST
Last Updated Tuesday, November 17, 2020 2:02PM EST
“I am seriously looking at solutions that may include some period outside of class that allows to protect the gains we made in this province going into the second year,” Lecce told reporters after Question Period on Tuesday. “And we will be able to report more substantively on that soon, to give parents notice that understandably they deserve.”
Most of Ontario’s more than 4,800 publicly schools opened by mid-September just as the province saw a sustained increase in daily cases of COVID-19 from little more than 100 per day to more than 1,500 per day by early November.
“The announcement we will unveil will be comprehensive and include a variety of elements, one of which can include something like an extended closure and online learning experience,” Lecce said.
Speaking after Lecce on Tuesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford stressed no decision has been made.
“Let’s not confirm that until the minister sits down with the Chief Medical Officer – I don’t want to jump the gun here and say be prepared,” Ford said. “It may not happen.”
He said that he knows parents are happy in large part with schools being open for their children.
“What I am hearing out there is parents want their kids in school, and it’s going well. Out of the 4,828 schools, only one is closed.”
Minister Lecce himself appeared to walk back some of his earlier comments on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.
According to leading medical experts, schools remain safe places for our kids.
— Stephen Lecce (@Sflecce) November 17, 2020
CMOH is clear —schools should remain open.
We will continue to consult experts as we plan for bringing kids back from the holiday on ways to further protect the progress we have made in our schools.
Lecce said he is actively consulting with Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams on the details of the plan, including the closure, and will have to more say about the matter in the next “week or two.”
Responding to Lecce’s comments, Liberal leader Steven Del Duca said floating the possibility of closures showed Ford’s approach to school reopening has failed.
“As recently as last night, (Ford’s) team has called their approach a success. They lied. Today, the Education Minister made clear that COVID-19 spread in schools is a clear and present danger. Doug Ford must act now so that students return to safe class sizes after this avoidable shutdown.”
Last week, Ontario's Ministry of Education denied that it was considering an early closure "in 2020."