Published Friday, June 19, 2020 7:46AM EDT
Last Updated Friday, June 19, 2020 7:53AM EDT
Last month, the Ford government revealed that it would cancel in-person classes for the remainder of the academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic but it said that schools would reopen in the fall.
Lecce did concede at the time that schools would likely have to be “reimagined” due to the ongoing need for physical distancing and promised to release a full plan on what that might look like by the end of June.
"It is obvious that schools will not look the same, that we will have to reimagine education in some respects in September given that there will have to be some protocol changes," he said.
Today’s announcement comes after an advisory group from the Hospital for Sick Children released a series of recommendations on how to safely reopen schools.
The recommendations said that schools should limit large gatherings, prevent children from sharing food and drinks and ensure classrooms are properly ventilated with open windows when possible.
The advisory group, however, is not recommending that students and teachers be required to wear masks and says that students can continue to use playgrounds.
“We need to diminish closeness – but strict emphasis on distancing is not really practical,” Dr. Michelle Science said during a press conference outlining the recommendations.
Lecce will be joined by Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Christine Elliott for today’s press conference.
It is scheduled for 1 p.m.