It took less than 24 hours for Education Minister Stephen Lecce to go back on his suggestion that the province is considering an extended winter break for students, leaving local parents frustrated with regularly changing provincial plans that one parent called “a farce.”
Lecce announced on Tuesday afternoon that he was talking to health officials and "looking at solutions that may include some period out of class" at the beginning of January, but had not yet made a decision.
At the time, Lecce said he would announce a plan in the next week or two to allow parents to prepare.
However, Lecce released a statement today on Twitter saying he had consulted with the province's chief medical officer of health and the Public Health Measures Table and determined that an extended winter holiday is not necessary at this time.
“It is so frustrating that I waste my lunch time tuned into the daily announcements for COVID-19 for me and my kids,” Barrie parent Michael Chorney told BarrieToday. “How can we — as parents, voters and people — take what our leaders are doing seriously when they don't?”
Chorney has two children, in Grade 3 and Grade 7, at Cundles Heights Public School.
“These past 10 months have been more than a challenge,” he said. “I am a delivery driver and my partner works in a medical office. We have both been deemed essential, but not in the sexy way that the government likes to spin.”
Chorney said he and his partner have had to take some time off work to help his kids deal with the transitions, and feels the constant changes are too much for children to bear.
“This is a dog-and-pony show. Parents in Simcoe County work in red zones like Vaughan and Toronto,” he said. “The idea that the government has a plan is a farce.”
“The government preaches economy yet ties the hands of the people driving it by forcing us to stay home, falling behind on bills and struggling. Every press conference the government holds is filled with wait-and-sees,” he added.
At schools across Simcoe County, there have been 67 cases of COVID-19 confirmed since Sept. 15.
Four schools have had confirmed outbreaks, which refers to two or more lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in students and/or staff (or other visitors) with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have contracted COVID-19 in the school.
Outbreaks at Bradford District High School in Bradford West Gwillimbury and Hillcrest Public School in Barrie have been declared resolved, while outbreaks at Nottawasaga Pines Secondary School and Our Lady of Grace Catholic School, both in Angus, are ongoing.
No schools in Simcoe County have yet been closed due to outbreaks.
- With files from Canadian Press