Today, the Government of Ontario announced that the return to school for all students has been delayed until Wednesday January 5^th.

“We’re following the direction of the Ministry and support all efforts required to stop the spread of the Omicron variant,” says Mark Fisher, Director of Education. “We hope that in doing so, students will be able to return to in-person learning safely. We know this time of uncertainty is challenging on many fronts—for staff, for students and for families.”

Thames Valley has invested more than $64.5 million to install or upgrade school mechanical ventilation systems over the last five years – with an additional $15 million in system improvements during the summer of 2021. The Board has also deployed HEPA filtration units to be used in all Kindergarten classrooms and in classrooms and common areas of schools that rely on passive ventilation

“These intentional investments have allowed us to be provincial leaders when it comes to health and safety in our schools, and we continue with our commitment to focus on creating safe learning environments for our students and staff,” says Mark Fisher. 

We will continue to provide regular updates as more information becomes available.