Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli believes the province's return to school plan is a good one.
The province has given the green light to have students return to the classroom this fall after classrooms were shut down and remote learning was the mandate after the COVID-19 pandemic led to school closures back after the March break.
During a media conference at the site of a new steel galvanizing plant being built near the airport, Fedeli is confident locally that parents, students and teachers can feel safe about returning to class.
"That is the message," said Fedeli.
"We want to make absolutely certain students, their families, the teachers and all of the staff are all safe when they return. All of the pieces we have put in place.
"You saw in our announcement it was not only made by the Education minister but it was endorsed by Ontario's chief medical officer of health. This is the plan they have put forward that is a safe plan to bring our students and our teachers back to school."
See related: Near North Board comfortable with province's back to school plan
See related: Catholic board unveils return to class
Both the Near North School Board and the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board have unveiled their plans to work within the province's return to school mandate.
"We can fit within those parameters," Jay Aspin, Near North District School Board Chair, told CKAT.
"It has been a goal post moving process because nobody has been through this before. It is a health concern and everybody has got to be careful.
"Health is number one with this thing because the safety of our students, staff and in fact all the education community is paramount. You know you don't want to put anyone at risk here and we want to minimize that risk," continued Aspin.
All Boards are expected to submit a plan by next week and board chair Jay Aspin says that is something they can work with.
As for the Catholic Board, their plan gives parents the option for their children to receive instruction remotely which allows them to make the final determination whether they feel safe with their children returning to school.
The document states, "it is critical to balance the risk of direct infection and transmission of COVID-19 in children with the impact of school closures on their physical and mental health. Current evidence and experience support the concept that children can return to school in a carefully structured manner that protects children's health and minimizes risks from a public health perspective."
Classrooms will be arranged to allow the most space as possible between students and to encourage physical distancing of 1-2 metres.
See the full plan HERE
