Ontario Education Timeline

Concerned parents calling attention to the impacts of school staffing shortages on their children as teachers, supply teachers, and other staff members have contributed to a “revolving door” of teachers in classrooms.

People for Education survey finds that more mental health resources urgently needed in schools.

Health and safety in schools top of mind for students, educators, and parents in Toronto schools and across the province.

With 73% of members in favour, CUPE education workers vote to ratify a new 4-year deal with the provincial government.

55,000 Ontario education workers set to strike "until further notice" without a deal with government

New FAO report predicts budget surpluses for the provincial government amid bargaining with education workers.

OSSTF President Karen Littlewood tells the Ottawa Citizen that students and staff need stability; calls for more investments in supports and resources.

Minister Lecce pledges a return to a normal school experience. His comments come as the government, school boards and education unions continue negotiating after all contracts expired at the end of August.

Minister Lecce tells CP24 that students will remain in the classroom, even if the province experiences a COVID-19 Winter surge in infections.

OSSTF President Karen Littlewood tells the Toronto Star that the 2022-23 school year will start on time.

CCPA Ontario releases report showing the Ontario government's revenue losses stand at $7.5 billion a year under Doug Ford

FAO releases report showing the Ontario government underspent in the education sector by over $600 million over the first three quarters of the 2021-22 fiscal year

Students across Ontario head back to the classroom after a long break from in-person learning. An Omicron-filled surge in COVID-19 cases forced students into online learning for what, in some ways, turned into a two-week extension of Christmas break.

Students across Ontario head back to the classroom after a long break from in-person learning. An Omicron-filled surge in COVID-19 cases forced students into online learning for what, in some ways, turned into a two-week extension of Christmas break.

Joint statement is released by some of Ontario’s education unions regarding the government’s decision to move forward with reopening schools on January 17

Parents and educators in Ontario express frustration after the provincial government's last-minute decision to shift school to online learning for at least two weeks.

The Ontario government issues several new COVID-19 public health measures that includes moving schools online, closures and capacity limits for businesses as the province struggles to contain the spread of Omicron.

Statement released from unions and associations representing Ontario teachers and education workers regarding return to class following 2021-2022 winter break.

In order to keep schools open, the Ontario government should give COVID-19 rapid tests to teachers and education staff as well as students — for the holidays and beyond — hold in-school vaccination clinics and provide free N95 masks, the NDP education critic says.

Some Ontario school boards advise parents to prepare for a pivot to remote learning in January — just in case —and to ensure their children take home personal belongings and any necessary learning resources before the winter break.

Ontario to allow normal high school semesters; 11 million rapid COVID-19 tests to be offered to elementary and secondary students for holidays.

Ontario says it is expanding its COVID-19 testing options for students and staff at the province's 4,800 schools as well as increasing rapid testing requirements for unvaccinated staff.

Critics say Ford's throne speech abandoned education.

As students at the last major school board head back to class, Minister Lecce says the province’s top public health doctor believes the improvements in ventilation and other public health measures will ensure schools stay open year-round for the benefit of children’s mental and physical health.

Ontario’s unions respond to Ford government’s inadequate back-to-school plan.

The provincial government outlines COVID-19 guidance for all schools in an effort to restore in-person classes at all boards.

SickKids in Toronto, CHEO in Ottawa, and the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table release report on back to school return.

A new survey led by The Hospital for Sick Children shows more than half of children and youth reported clinically significant depressive symptoms during the second wave of COVID-19 in Ontario.

Public education to suffer if teachers forced to teach 'hybrid' classes this fall, unions say.

With Mississauga, Brampton, and Ontario schools to reopen in September, opposition parties lay out demands.

OSSTF/FEESO officially releases Strengthen Public Education—Rebuild Ontario, a platform outlining the Federation’s vision for publicly-funded education in Ontario in a post-pandemic world and beyond.

Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table publishes report on the potential impacts of Ontario's lengthy school closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Premier Ford announces Ontario schools are not reopening this month and students will continue with remote learning until the end of the school year.

Opposition parties at Queen’s Park demand to know when and how the province will reopen schools for in-person instruction — as Premier Doug Ford’s government continues to mull over the decision.

'Same money, same message’: Provincial announcement of online learning option leaves local unions frustrated

Minister Lecce says Ontario will offer online learning for the next school year, but has no news about whether or not students might return to in-person classes in the spring.

Ontario announces schools will move indefinitely to online learning when classes resume after the delayed spring break citing soaring rates of COVID-19.

Ontario confirms 'stay-at-home' order in place from April 8th - May 6th.

Ottawa teachers' unions call for move to online learning unless school safety can be improved.

Premier Ford announces the entire province is going into a "shutdown" category for at least four weeks after officials warned a third wave is imminent and we risk further lockdown.

New cases of COVID-19 among Ontario students and staff hit the highest levels since elementary and secondary schools opened last fall, according to provincial data.

Ontario's education minister confirms April school break to go ahead as planned - for now.

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce says the province will release a decision in the coming weeks as to how remote learning might be integrated into the education system going forward.

It was just over a year ago — Thursday, March 12, 2020 — the province announced a drastic change was coming to the way kids, teens, and young adults would be learning.

Peel, York students return to classrooms as in-person learning resumes across the GTA.

Education unions say postponing March break not the best move.

The Ontario government says it will postpone March Break for students and teachers for a month. The week-long break, which was originally scheduled for March 15-19, will now take place on the week of April 12th.

Federal government provides $381 million to help get Ontario kids safely back to school.

Two weeks in, the options to support rural families who have poor internet access and also live in cellphone dead zones are still few and far between.

Unions call for more supports for online learning needed with extended school closures.

In-class learning for Southern Ontario elementary students delayed until January 25.

Ontario Education Minister says aim is to reopen schools safely; expert calls plan 'reckless and dangerous.'

Students across Ontario return to school virtually for their first week of lessons after the winter holiday.

Ontario’s last-minute decision to shift classrooms online when schools restart in the New Year forces educators to prep for virtual school over the Holidays.

: Premier Doug Ford announces that all schools in Ontario will remain closed after the winter break as part of the province-wide COVID-19 shutdown, with secondary school students returning to the classroom on Jan. 11 in Northern Ontario and Jan. 25 in Southern Ontario. Elementary school students across the province will also return to school on Jan. 11.

The government of Ontario announces province-wide shutdown starting Dec. 26 to stop spread of Covid-19.

Toronto education workers call for the expansion of an asymptomatic COVID-19 testing program as well as a delayed return to in-class learning in the new year.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce pens an op-ed titled ‘Keeping schools safe and open.’

Ontario students won’t have a longer winter break after all, with the province saying that its COVID-19 protocols for schools are enough to keep kids safe.

Ontario Families for Public Education and the Ontario Parent Action Network announce they will be launching a public consultation process regarding the province’s pandemic education plan.

‘Double duty’- Educators find themselves teaching in-class and online at same time.

Ontario trumpeted its $1.3-billion back-to-school plan. But a closer analysis shows it’s all about muddy math.

Masks and class sizes are weak points as schools reopen, Sick Kids study suggests.

Ontario teacher sounds the alarm as 30-plus students pack into classroom during pandemic.

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce says he's "unlocked" $500 million in funding to enhance physical distancing and improve air quality as multiple unions claim the province's current plan violates provincial health and safety law.

Educators protest for safe return to school in September.

Hamilton parents, unions see concerning gaps in Ontario’s back-to-school plan.

OSSTF/FEESO releases statement saying the Ford government is jeopardizing the safety of students, educators, and all Ontarians by severely underfunding a safe return to school.

Toronto’s SickKids Hospital provides updated list of recommendations on how to safely reopen schools.

Provinces eye hybrid school reopening model, leaving some parents struggling.

GOLDSTEIN: Ontario's plan for reopening schools needs work.

OSSTF releases its recommendations for a safe reopening of schools for the 2020-2021 school year.

The Ontario government releases three plans for how schools will operate in September, but said they don’t expect classrooms will be made of more than 15 students right away as the province continues to grapple with the challenges of COVID-19.

Premier Ford says he will work with unions to ensure safety of teachers and education workers when Ontario schools reopen.

Ontario Ministers ask federal government to help expand rural internet access for students.

Brookings: The impact of COVID-19 on student achievement and what it may mean for educators.

OSSTF releases a letter to Minister Lecce requesting they be included in consultations prior to the reopening of schools.

Study: Increasing screen time during the coronavirus pandemic could be harmful to kids’ eyesight.

Educators say they are concerned about Ontario’s back-to-school plans.

Postmedia Editorial: Closing schools was obvious — now what?

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces that the province is cancelling in-person learning for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, schools remain open for students in special education programs who cannot learn using online methods. Education workers and teachers in these classes continue to work in-person, face-to-face with students. On the same day the government announces the closure of schools for in-person learning for the remainder of the year, Ontario enters Stage 1 of its gradual reopening plan.

Distance learning a challenge for many during coronavirus pandemic.

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) reaches a new three-year deal with the provincial government, ending a contentious back-and-forth between the two sides since September 2019.

United Nations releases a report saying the social and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic “is potentially catastrophic for millions of children.”

A new study by researchers at University College London says recent modeling studies of COVID-19 suggest that school closures may only have a small effect on stopping the coronavirus.

Ontario students begin online learning as coronavirus pandemic continues.

Premier Doug Ford announces that publicly funded schools will be closed until at least Friday, May 1, 2020 for teachers, education workers, and to students until at least Monday, May 4, 2020.

Hundreds of schools across the Greater Toronto Area re-open for limited time periods to allow teachers and education workers to pick up materials needed for extended closure.

: Education Minister Stephen Lecce issues an open letter to parents across the province indicating that it's possible students will have to continue their classes online during the global outbreak following the end of the extended March Break.

The Elementary teachers’ union and province reach tentative deal, following months of school action, as schools remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic

Ontario rolls out an online learning portal called “Learn at Home” for students shut out of their schools as part of the province's effort to contain COVID-19. The majority of the resources are from TVO, the province’s public broadcaster. Teacher and educator unions are not involved in the programming but Education Minister Lecce says the government has formed a working group with the province's education sector unions to look at options for continued learning until the pandemic abates.

Based on advice from Dr. David Williams, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Government of Ontario announces the closure of all publicly funded schools for two weeks (March 23 to April 6) following March Break in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hours before announcing province-wide school closures, Premier Ford tells families to go ahead and travel during March break despite fears over the novel coronavirus.

One of the earliest op-eds in the National Post to question whether shuttering schools is the right move. At this point, school closures have already interrupted the public education of some 300 million students worldwide.

Ontario confirms first case of the novel coronavirus now known as COVID-19.