School boards encourage students to bring home belongings

Out of an “abundance of caution” both the Limestone District School Board (LDSB), and the Algonquin Lakeshore Catholic District School Board (ALCDSB) have released statements encouraging students and families to be prepared to return to remote learning after the Easter long weekend.

“Given local public health directives, we know that this first, long weekend of spring will look and feel different,” LDSB said in a statement published to their website on Wednesday, Mar. 31, 2021. “As a precautionary measure, we are recommending all students and staff take home any personal belongings (eyeglasses, shoes, extra or outdoor clothing and boots /shoes etc.) at the end of the day tomorrow, Thursday, April 1, 2021.”

A letter to parents in the ALCDSB echoes that statement: “Out of an abundance of caution, we ask students to take home personal items before the Easter weekend and any tools to remove barriers to their learning. This will facilitate our ability to easily adjust to a remote learning environment if we should face school closure following the Easter weekend,” said David DeSantis, Director of Education at ALCDSB, in the letter.

The LDSB urges everyone to ensure they are doing their part to follow local public health directives to prevent the spread of COVID-19: keep celebrations within your immediate household; avoid social gatherings; and avoid non-essential travel outside the KFL&A region.

“We do expect that students and staff attending and working at in-person school will resume classes on Tuesday, April 6, 2021,” LDSB continued. “However, we want to ensure families and staff are equipped to deal with any potential announcements by the Ministry of Education and/or provincial Medical Officer of Health.”

Just such an announcement is expected at 1:30 p.m. today, Thursday, Apr. 1, 2021, from Premier Doug Ford. He is expected to pull the “emergency brake” and return to a province-wide lockdown, though early speculation says it will not be as restrictive as the December lockdown.

Kingstonist will be following these developments. Watch our website and social media for updates as they happen.