Students in the Lambton-Kent school system won't be having traditional graduation ceremonies again this year.
Lambton-Kent District School Board Education Director John Howitt said the school board is well beyond disappointed after Premier Doug Ford announced on Wednesday that schools would remain closed for face to face learning until September. Howitt said the focus now is on finishing the rest of the school year strong and dealing with graduation ceremonies.
He said the school year is not over until the end of June and teachers are still providing a quality education for their pupils. Howitt is also reminding students, especially high school students, that these credits are very important to them in the future in terms of scholarships, post-secondary education, diplomas, apprenticeships, and just work life in general.
Howitt noted that, unfortunately, outdoor graduations are not possible this summer because current COVID-19 restrictions prohibit them. He added, however, that school officials are trying to come up with ways to close out the school year properly.
"Traditional graduations are not possible. However, we understand the spirit of the announcement and are exploring ways that when children come to pick up their personal belongings and return school board materials that we can have some sort of way for closure and we just haven't settled on what that is yet," said Howitt.
The St. Clair Catholic District School Board said schools across the district have been planning for virtual graduations, which, depending on Ontario government restrictions, could possibly include opportunities for drive-up certificate presentations and photos. The board's Supervisor of Communications and Community Relations Todd Lozon said those decisions will be made on a school-by-school basis.
Lozon added parents and guardians will also be receiving information regarding the return of board-owned technology and opportunities for families to retrieve personal items that were left at the school when students left the building for the last time in April.
Chatham-Kent Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Colby said there's no arguing that in-school learning is best because remote learning makes some students uncomfortable and is difficult on families. Colby called it "a conflict of priorities" and believes the province was looking for a guarantee that if students returned to school there wouldn't be a surge in cases. Premier Ford asked school boards and medical officers of health for their input last week.
Colby added the circulating variants made the province's decision very difficult because models showed there could have been an 11 per cent surge in cases if students went back to school for these next three weeks. He said that was too much of a risk for the province and they made the controversial call.
"Of course, nobody can guarantee what's going to happen," he said.
Dr. Colby also noted that while it's important to get the schools safe and ready for the return to class in September, getting all students and teachers fully vaccinated this summer is the most important factor. Colby said based on current vaccine projections, anyone who wants to be vaccinated in Ontario can get both of their doses by the end of August.
