Will schools stay open post-winter break? That’s the plan across Canada right now

With the spread of Omicron across the country, provinces and territories have largely committed to in-person learning for students post-winter break pending any major changes or new advice from medical officers of health.

A number of Ontario school boards are asking students to take home their personal belongings in the event of a possible switch to remote learning following the winter break.

The Toronto District School Board said in a memo that it is recommending the move "out of an abundance of caution," and that it has not received any indication from the province's Ministry of Education or Toronto Public Health that schools will close.

Students also will be sent home with a rapid antigen test kit, with five tests, over the break between Dec. 20 and Jan. 3.

• CTV News app sign-up: Breaking news alerts and top stories delivered right to you

Officials with the Waterloo Region's public and Catholic school boards say they are preparing for a possible move to remote learning next year.

The Waterloo Region District School Board and Waterloo Catholic District School Board have told students to take home any necessary items ahead of the winter break, which is scheduled to run from Dec. 17 to Jan. 2.

The York Region District School Board said in a winter break message to families that it is working on a plan to reopen schools in January, but is prepared to move to virtual learning if the province makes the announcement, The Canadian Press reports.

And in London, Ont., the Thames Valley District School Board sent a letter to families also advising children to empty their lockers and take belongings home before Friday in the event schools move to remote learning in January.

Asked what the province's plans are for students returning to school next year, and whether students are being advised to take their belongings home before the winter break, a spokesperson for Ontario’s education minister pointed to the addition of 70,000 new HEPA units in schools and the distribution of 11 million rapid antigen tests to every child.

• Newsletter sign-up: Get The COVID-19 Brief sent to your inbox

The spokesperson also noted that more than 99 per cent of Ontario's more than 4,800 publicly funded schools remained open as of Wednesday, while more than 99 per cent of students and staff have not reported a case this current school year.

"Ontario's chief medical officer of health has been clear: schools have been made safer for in-person learning through enhanced ventilation, testing and high-quality masks," the spokesperson said. "While four out of five schools have no active cases amid the emergence of Omicron, we are taking nothing for granted."

The Quebec government, meanwhile, announced on Thursday it would delay in-person classes for secondary and post-secondary students in the province by one week once the holidays are over. Primary schools will return to in-person classes as scheduled.

ATLANTIC CANADA

Meanwhile, all four Atlantic provinces have identified cases of the Omicron variant, with some adjusting their winter breaks and considering possible changes to their back-to-school plans.

In Nova Scotia, the province's education department announced on Wednesday that public school students would begin their holiday break early, with classes ending Friday.

Officials previously announced that the holiday break would be extended by two days to Jan. 6.

The department says a small number of schools have had to move to at-home learning, with others possibly doing so, as well, before Friday.

Multiple schools have reported COVID-19 exposures in recent weeks, but to date, seven have introduced enhanced public health measures, two of which have been lifted as of Wednesday. However, enhanced public health measures came into effect Tuesday, including no assemblies or holiday concerts and limiting school sports to team skills training only.

The province has linked hundreds of recent COVID-19 cases to an outbreak at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., although the provincial government has said symptoms have been relatively mild, most involving young people who are fully vaccinated. A number of tightened public health restrictions will go into effect in the province on Friday, including new indoor and outdoor gathering limits.

Cases in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have been tied to the outbreak at St. Francis Xavier University, according to The Canadian Press.

New Brunswick's Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said Wednesday that children will be given take-home rapid testing kits as part of a "holiday testing blitz."

Students in Kindergarten to Grade 6 will receive two kits, with five tests each, while students in Grade 7 to 12 will receive one kit, allowing children and teens to do rapid tests every two to three days over the break, Shephard said.

Meanwhile, the province's Education Minister Dominic Cardy said a more rigorous rapid testing program will be in place for the rest of the school year.

Public health officials in Prince Edward Island are expected to make a recommendation in early January on whether to reopen schools.

OTHER PROVINCES AND TERRITORIES

A spokesperson in B.C.'s education ministry says the province is planning for continued in-person learning in the new year, "which is crucial to the social and emotional well-being of students."

Parents also have been encouraged to get their children registered for a vaccine, if eligible.

A spokesperson for Alberta's education minister said any school that has had two or more cases of COVID-19 in the last 14 days will be included as part of the province's expanded school rapid testing program. All eligible Albertans, particularly adults entering schools, also are encouraged to get vaccinated.

On rapid tests, a Saskatchewan government spokesperson said they are free for elementary school students and families, with more than 1.4 million distributed to date, and are available at more than 250 locations in the province. Starting Dec. 20, all residents 18 and older will become eligible for a booster shot three months from their second dose.

A Nunavut government spokesperson said schools are open, which won’t change unless the territory's chief public health officer advises otherwise. Should that occur, "schools are prepared to adapt to students learning needs with hybrid and remote learning."

Neither Yukon nor the Northwest Territories said they are advising students to bring belongings home before the winter break. A Yukon government spokesperson said there are no outbreaks in schools, and that the chief medical officer of health is recommending they remain open and follow their operational plans for reducing communicable disease. "If the CMOH's advice changes, we are prepared to adapt."

Schools in the Northwest Territories that have volunteered for the at-home screening program are sending students with five COVID-19 self-test kids, a government spokesperson said. All travellers also are required to submit self-isolation plans regardless of vaccination status and identify if they work with vulnerable populations.

With files from The Canadian Press