Ontario high schools allowed to return to regular semesters in February

Ontariohigh schools will shift back to regular semesters no later than February, returning secondary students to a normal schedule for the first time since the onset of the pandemic.

School boards will be able to make the change sooner if they have their local public health unit's support, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced Thursday.

"Recognizing the high rates of immunization among youth in our secondary schools, I'm proud to announce that secondary schools will resume a regular timetable model of four courses a day starting in Term 2," he said.

Numerous school boards have requested the move away from "modified semesters," which saw students take four courses each term, alternating which two classes they had each week.

The system allows for easier cohorting, but students and parents have complained that the three-hour classes make it hard to absorband retain information.

In the last academic year, many secondary schools opted for a "quadmester" model, in which the year was divided into four terms,each with only two courses.

'Definitely good news'

Thursday's announcement immediately got a stamp of approval from theOntarioPublic School Boards Association.

"This return to a regular timetable for secondary students willimprove student engagement and achievement, while allowing educatorsto create more effective teaching and learning environments," OPSBApresident Cathy Abraham said in a written statement.

"This isdefinitely good news."

The Toronto Catholic District School Board was among the boardsthat had asked the province to switch to regular semesters, and itsaid Thursday it would aim to change schedules in February 2022.

Even the Opposition NDP applauded the move.

"I think everybody is happy, generally, to see that change," New Democrat educationcritic Marit Stiles said.

The upcoming change is part of a suite of measures the province announced Thursday.

Elementary students won't see cohorting rules change

Lecce said elementary students, many of whom are currently tooyoung to be vaccinated, will not see their schedules or cohortingrules change.

"We're introducing additional temporary measures to protect them as the winter months approach," he said.

Health Canada is expected to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19vaccine for use in kids aged five to 11 on Friday, but Lecce said itwill take time to get vaccination rates up in that age group.

He said that starting in January or earlier, if local public health units deem it necessary all elementary school-wide assemblies are to be held virtually.

Lunches and breaks in elementary schools will be restricted to classroom cohorts indoors when distancing between cohorts can't bemaintained.

The province also rolled out a winter testing plan for schools,which will see students sent home for the December break with fiverapid antigen COVID-19 tests apiece.

The 11 million tests will be distributed over the next month to all publicly funded schools.