Some Windsor-Essex parents, teachers question province's decision to move March Break

Students in Windsor Essex and across the province will have to wait an extra three weeks to get a week off.

The province has postponed March break to the week of April 12 to discourage community spread and families travelling.

Rebecca Major's 10-year-old sonhas been attending online classes for a year. She told CBC News that he's been looking forward to the time off and now she'sconcerned about him burning out.

"I understand that it's to reduce mobility or whatever, but at the same time, the kids that have been online this whole time really need the break," said Major.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce said postponingrather than cancelling the break is "an important way that schools can help to limit community transmission" of the coronavirus and its variants of concern.

• Ontario postponing March Break to mid-April, says education minister

But that is confusing to Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation District 9 president Erin Roy who represents public high school teachers in Windsor-Essex.

She says the health authorities can't seem to decide whether staying in school is healthier than staying home, considering the region's medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed sent students home to learn online a week early at Christmas time.

"The data is showing that in particular the students under 10 are asymptomatic so I don't think they can say that schools aren't a contributor if things are to take hold," she said. "It seems there's some missing information, and I just wish that they were more transparent, and why did they make the decisions they do?"

The move, however, does have the support of some parents.

"I think it will be a good idea. Let these teachers have a break from this COVID virus. You never know what's going to happen between now and then," said parent Gordon McMullin, while waiting outside West Gate Public School.

"I agree with it. I feel if they had the March Break in March that they might not come back to school," said Tammy Mailloux, who has a daughter attending West Gate.

Public school officials will meet next week to assess how the change will impact the school calendar and decide what changes to make. A spokesperson for the board says it may impact the exam schedule.

The Catholic board officials are also meeting Friday to discuss the schedules asApril 12 was supposed to be the day students transitioned between online and in person learning. That date will now have to change.

Parents in the Catholic system will still have March 22 to 26 to declare whether their students will continue with the rest of the year online or in person.