KITCHENER -- Exams are cancelled for high school students at in the Waterloo Region District School Board.

The cancellations are for all students, whether they attend classes online or in-person.

The school board said the time set aside for exams from Nov. 11 to 13 will now be used for students to finish up work in their courses.

The Ministry of Education allowed school boards to substitute instructional days for exams.

Students taking classes in-person won't attend school that day and instead teachers will be available to support them remotely.

School board officials said staff are already planning ahead.

"We've decided to not have formal final exams for our secondary schools," said Superintendent Ron DeBoer. "Our staff are currently working on plans around that in terms of assessment plans."

The board's plan to scrap exams follows similar discussions by other boards in Toronto, Peel Region and Durham. The Waterloo Catholic District School Board won't have formal exams, but final assessments are required.