The vast majority of Ontario schools will also close their doors on April 8 to allow students to “avoid the dangers of the eclipse.” Several Ontario school boards also announced the decision long before their Quebec counterparts in January.
According to Le Devoir, as many as 83% of school boards – public, Catholic, French-speaking and English-speaking school boards combined – have announced measures to adapt their calendar to the astronomical event.
Most chose to postpone a scheduled educational day in the calendar to release children on April 8th. However, in Ontario, only the south and east of the province are in the path of the total solar eclipse, according to the Astronomical Society of the Montreal Planetarium.
“This decision is made out of an abundance of caution as the eclipse will occur at a time when students would be traveling to their homes,” wrote Providence Catholic School Board Communications Officer Lyne Cossette.
The province's largest school board, Toronto, has also decided to postpone an education day. “Look directly into the sun, […] Without adequate protection, serious problems such as partial or complete loss of vision can occur,” he wrote in a statement.
Some fear that the darkness will cause traffic problems and worry about the “safety” of students in such conditions. You also don't want children watching the eclipse on the way home without parental supervision.
Others, such as the Conseil scolaire de District catholique des Aurores boréales or the Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord, have chosen to dismiss students earlier, around midday. The Viamonde and MonAvenir school boards in the Toronto suburbs will have children work from home “asynchronously” on materials “distributed to them in advance.” Unable to reschedule an education day, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board decided to close all schools.
Decisions criticized by Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce. Last Monday, he said he approved moving class days but didn't “feel comfortable” with canceling classes. “What I don’t support is closing schools without giving children access to their teachers. »
Multiple media outlets also reported that the union representing teachers at Catholic elementary schools in Toronto is also calling for telework during Education Day on April 8.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.