Education minister criticizes last-minute decision to close schools
Board had originally planned to have kids in class during solar eclipse on Monday
Education Minister Stephen Lecce says it’s “indefensible” for the Waterloo public school board to make a last-minute decision to close schools on Monday.
The board had originally planned for children to be at school Monday, when the mid-afternoon solar eclipse is happening.
But on Wednesday, the board announced it had changed its mind, and children would learn from home on that day instead.
Some parents were scrambling for child care at the last minute and criticized the decision.
One unhappy parent, Michael Kopysh, told a board official that the decision should have been made weeks earlier and was “laughable and a disgrace.” He said he didn’t know what he was going to do for child care and couldn’t take time off from work at short notice.
On Friday, Lecce said: “It is entirely unacceptable for school boards to drop this on parents only days ahead of time.”
“I have shared my expectations to school boards across Ontario — that children are to be in school and in front of their educators,” he said through an email from his office.
“It is not only indefensible to send kids home just days ahead of time, but it is insult to injury to do so without ensuring live access to their educator. The board ought to reconsider this decision.”
Lecce’s office said the Waterloo Region District School Board had been informed of his message.
School board officials did not immediately respond to Lecce’s comment.
When the board announced it was closing the schools, it said there would be “an asynchronous day of learning” instead.
This means that students would not be learning online together with a teacher, but would continue learning at their own pace and time.
The board said it would support student learning through online
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It is entirely unacceptable for school boards to drop this on parents only days ahead of time.
STEPHEN LECCE O N TA R I O EDUCATION MINISTER
resources, and added: “Students may also work on previously assigned work or spend time reviewing material previously covered.”
Numerous other school boards in Ontario, including the Waterloo Catholic board, had declared a professional activity day on Monday weeks ago.
The Waterloo public board had already set its professional activity day for next Wednesday instead.
However, last week, the head of the elementary teachers’ union said there was a safety concern for students and asked that they be dismissed early.
Jeff Pelich, president of the Waterloo Region branch of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, said it’s unrealistic to think some students won’t look at the sun on their way home.
The school board said it wasn’t able to make that happen.
The concern for student safety arises from the fact that, when the solar eclipse is happening mid-afternoon, students will be on their way home from school, largely unsupervised.
There is concern that they may look up at the sun out of curiosity, and damage their eyes.
At the full moment of eclipse in Waterloo Region, 99 per cent of the sun will be hidden by the moon. But even with just that tiny amount of sunlight, experts say serious and permanent damage to eyesight will still happen if people look directly at the sun.