> CORRECTION

In a story published in Saturday’s Spectator, the name of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation was stated incorrectly in several references. The Spectator regrets the error.

Hamilton students are, once again, back at their desks in schools across the city.

In-person learning resumed on Monday for elementary and secondary students in Hamilton — as well as Halton, Brantford and Brant, and Haldimand and Norfolk counties — after weeks of learning from home under a provincewide stay-athome order.

“We are so pleased that our students and staff were able to come together in person,” Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board spokesperson Shawn McKillop said in an email to The Spectator. “It was clear that our staff have missed our students and their colleagues.”

McKillop said the board, whose secondary students attend in-person classes every other day, is “looking forward” to welcoming back high schoolers in cohort B on Tuesday.

The province announced on Wednesday the majority of Ontario school boards closed to inperson learning would be able to reopen starting Feb. 8 — three days earlier than the previous date provided by the province. Boards in Toronto, Peel and York will remain closed until Feb. 16.

“I want to express deep, deep appreciation to our staff because they have worked tirelessly — since last March, but again over the weekend — to prepare their schools, their classrooms to welcome back our students,” said Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School board chair Pat Daly. “We can't thank them enough.”

The Catholic board is asking families to complete the daily COVID-19 screening online screening tool and send their child with an extra mask in case one is lost.

Daly said the board had “no reports of attendance issues,” and the corporate services department did a “phenomenal job” ensuring transportation and adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) was in place for Monday. “The day went very well,” he said. “Students generally were very happy to be back in school.”