Last Updated Tuesday, May 4, 2021 2:36PM EDT
School boards across Ontario will be required to offer virtual learning as an option for students for the entire 2021-22 school year, provincial officials confirmed Tuesday.
It is unclear how many students will opt for remote learning come September but during a briefing to outline plans for the 2021-22 school year, the province confirmed that all boards must present it as an option.
"We’ve committed ourselves to consulting on providing that choice beyond this year. What we heard in the consultation absolutely clearly is that parents want that choice for this September because we are unsure of where this pandemic will take us," Ontario's Education Minister Stephen Lecce said at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon.