Strikes planned for this week will close several local schools

Teachers hit the picket lines at Innisdale Secondary School in a one-day walkout on Wed., Dec. 4, 2019. (Aileen Doyle/CTV News)

Thousands of students will be locked out of the classroom on Thursday as Ontario's teachers and education workers plan another demonstration at Queen's Park.

Here's how it breaks down across our region for Thurs., Mar. 5

Simcoe County District School Board high schools will be closed, including adult learning centres, and all secondary out-of-school activities are cancelled.

However, Grade 7 and 8 students at Elmvale District High School and Stayner Collegiate Institute will have class as usual on Thursday.

Both elementary and secondary schools in the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board will be closed and buses cancelled.

The one-day strike will also impact Trillium Lakelands District School Board high schools.

Ontario's French-language teachers announced they would also hold a province-wide strike on Thursday.

The OSSTF has held informal meetings with the province but has not bargained with the government since mid-December.

The unions anticipate about 15,000 people to attend the demonstration at the legislature this week, roughly half the amount at a protest last month when the elementary union was involved.

There are no walkouts planned by the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario for this week, but the union has threatened escalated strike action if no deal is reached by Friday.

- With files from The Canadian Press