KITCHENER -- Although there's no word yet from the Ministry of Education on whether or not students will return to the classroom after the winter break, school boards in Waterloo Region are preparing for all possibilities.

On Thursday, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce told students and staff to take home anything that might be needed for virtual learning in 2021, in case they don't come back in January.

The public school board said that list doesn't include tablets for elementary students.

"Elementary students do not have an assigned Chromebook. They share devices within their classroom. These devices will not be sent home at this time," the Waterloo Region District School Board said in an email to CTV News Kitchener. "We would not have had enough devices for every single elementary student, but many students already have access to a device in their home and would not require one from their school."

The board said it does have a distribution plan if students move to distance learning.

The Catholic school board is letting students who need a Chromebook take one home.

Officials said they have deployed 5,600 Chromebooks since last spring, and could provide 1,800 more if needed for remote learning.