KITCHENER -- As thousands of students head back to class, the official opposition is calling on the Ford government not to cancel March break.
The Ontario Public School Board Association (OPSBA) is urging the Ministry of Education not to cancel, saying that March break is much needed for school communities.
The association acknowledges that everyone, from parents to students to staff, are tired and stressed over the continual pivoting to and from online learning brought on by the pandemic.
The head of the Ontario public school board system says the scheduled March break would provide time for families to rest and recharge away from their laptops and tablets.
"To get outside and play in their own backyards or in their own front yards, not travel," said OPSBA President Cathy Abraham.
"But we also recognize the challenge of our health units and that we don't want March break to exasperate the pandemic, we don't want March break to mean that in two weeks after March break we'll have another increase of COVID numbers."
She said the association wants people to understand that the mental health of those involved in the return to school is "incredibly important."
