This afternoon, the Ministry of Education shared a number of updates related to schools and students across the province. While the TDSB must still review these in more detail and will provide more information in the days ahead, some of the highlights include:

• Secondary schools are able to return to a regular semester model, starting in February 2022.

• All Ontario public school students will be sent home with five rapid COVID-19 tests to use over the holidays and throughout the return to in-person learning.

• Elementary schools are also to host virtual-only assemblies and restrict lunches/breaks to classroom cohorts when indoors, where distancing between cohorts cannot be maintained.

The Ministry also reminded families to review the established federal international travel policies – including the guidelines for unvaccinated, school-aged children – in advance of the December break in an effort to prevent absences in January related to post-travel requirements.

We will continue to keep you updated as staff determine the local plans for the TDSB. Thank you for your continued patience and your ongoing support of the health and safety measures in place.