Retiring Catholic school board director reflects on three decades in education

Terry Lyons,head of the English Catholic school board in Windsor-Essex,says he gets asked how hesleeps at night.

Hesays hewas able to get a good night's sleep because he always tried to make decisions based on the best interest of students, families and the community.

"I've had the pleasure to serve in education for over three decades and the people that I've met and the people that I've worked with, I'm very confident in what is behind us in terms of leadership moving forward," he told CBC Radio's Windsor Morningon Thursday.

Lyons, 57, is stepping down as director of education for theWindsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, effective July 31.He has served in the role since 2017.

His retirement was announced at a recent meeting of the school board's trustees. The board said it will launch a search for a successor.

Lyonsreflected on his 32-year career in education, saying hegrew up an"inner city kid"whostruggled but wasinspired by the role models he encountered at school.

"I always wanted to give back and do what they did for me they changed my life," he said.

Students return to classroom

Lyons said he is retiring largely for non-COVID-19-related reasonsbut acknowledged ithas been a challenging year.

And, nearly a year into the pandemic,the challenge isn't going away yet.

On Wednesday, three days after students returned to the classroom for the first time in 2021, a class was dismissed atSt. John the Baptist Catholic Elementary School in Belle River after a COVID-19 case was reported.

Lyons said schools arejust a microcosm of broader society, and the continued presence of COVID-19 in the school system is a reflection of cases in the community.

He's hopingthe return to in-class learning goes "a little better" this time around, expressing confidence in the work of staff and health officials.

He declined to say whether he thought March Break should be cancelled this yearin order to keep COVID-19 cases down,saying that it's up tothe province to decide.