Ottawa area parents and students react to Ontario school plan
Starting this September, all Ontario students will be returning to class in person and full time under the Ford government's new back to school plan.
Mom Jennifer Bosch Gyuricska says she’s happy her kids are heading back to in-person learning. The bouncing from in-class to virtual learning has been a challenge, she says, something she does not want to repeat.
"I’m very happy that kids are going back to their classrooms and I know my children are very excited to be going back to the classroom," Bosch Gyuricska said. "I know that my children will not enjoy wearing a mask all the time but they know it’s the safest option."
Bosch Gyuricska’s daughter Emily is excited to be headed back to primary school in September. She found virtual classes a poor substitute for the things she liked best about school.
"I don’t like staring at a screen all day. It hurts my eyes and I prefer talking to my friends and going out with them at recess."
Some parents and students CTV News Ottawa spoke to expressed concerns about the possibility of assigning virtual work on snow or heat days, the fact that the government is not going to force all education workers to get vaccinated, and that busses will have few capacity limits.
Emily Patenaude, who has a daughter entering kindergarten this year, believes all school staff should be vaccinated to protect themselves and others.
"I think my biggest concern is not having everyone in the schools vaccinated that can be," Patenaude said. "My priority is making sure the staff that are interacting with my children, who are not yet qualified for vaccination, are vaccinated."
Returning high school students Liliaque Widdup and Emily Gilstorf say they are looking forward to getting back to classroom learning, but they are disappointed the cohort system is returning this year and have mixed feelings about anther year of quadmesters.
"I did pretty good with doing quadmester," Widdup said. "I feel like it’s a lot easier to do classes because you are only focusing on a few classes."
"I’m glad we are going back. I know it’s been really hard to do online school for a lot of people including me," Gilstorf said. "The cohorts--I can understand how we are splitting everyone up and why we are doing that--but it is still going to be hard to not have everybody that we usually do."
The government will be releasing more information regarding the return to school plan in the coming days.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.