More than 30 Toronto schools now shut down by COVID outbreaks
East-end schools lead latest round of Toronto board closures, as 20 schools dismissed today
The number of schools shut down on the advice of Toronto Public Health has shot up dramatically.
At least 20 schools in the city are closing as of today after experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks of two to ten cases each, leading to calls — on social media at least — to shut down all Toronto schools.
TPH, however, told school boards “they will not be closing Toronto schools at this time … with the exception of individual schools that are being dismissed on the advice of TPH as part of ongoing COVID investigations,” according to the Toronto District School Board.
Those “individual schools” being closed to in-person learning today include eleven TDSB schools, bring the board’s total of closed schools to 17.
Four of the TDSB schools closed today are in the east end: D. A, Morrison Middle School in the Woodbine Heights community, Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute in the Danforth area, East York Collegiate in Old East York, and Riverdale Collegiate in Leslieville. Nearby shutdowns include Grenoble Public School and Valley Park Middle School, both in the Flemingdon area.
Three east-end Catholic schools and an east-end French school were also closed down today. (See lists below.)
Other announced TDSB closures are Charles E. Webster Public School, Donwood Park Public School, Ellesmere-Statton Public School, Etienne Brulé Junior School and Lillian Public School.
On the advice of @TOPublicHealth students and staff at the following schools are being dismissed effective tomorrow, Tuesday, April 6 to allow TPH additional time to investigate COVID cases.
All students will be moving to remote learning at this time. pic.twitter.com/CQrWUr57AW
— Toronto District School Board (@tdsb) April 5, 2021
As of 8:45 a.m. today, the TDSB has listed on its COVID-19 Advisories website the number of confirmed cases at these schools as follows:
- Brian PS — 7 students, 3 staff, 3 resolved cases (since Nov. 10)
- Charles E. Webster PS — 7 students, 2 staff, 2 resolved
- Clinton Street JPS — 5 students, 0 staff, 1 resolved
- D. A. Morrison MS — 7 students, 1 staff, 3 resolved
- Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute — 9 students, 0 staff, 9 resolved
- Donwood Park PS — 6 students, 2 staff, 18 resolved
- East York CI — 2 students, 0 staff, 4 resolved
- Ellesmere-Statton PS — 4 students, 0 staff, 9 resolved
- Etienne Brulé JS — 4 students, 0 staff
- Gateway PS — 6 students, 1 staff, 9 resolved
- Grenoble PS — 4 students, 0 staff, 22 resolved
- Lillian PS — 6 students, 0 staff
- Riverdale CI — 3 students, 1 staff, 12 resolved
- Ryerson CS — 7 students, 0 staff, 1 resolved
- Thorncliffe Park PS — 7 students, 0 staff, 61 resolved
- Valley Park MS — 2 students, 0 staff, 31 resolve
- Victoria Village PS — 8 students, 1 staff, 3 resolved
— Toronto District School Board (@tdsb) April 5, 2021
The schools are being moved from in-class learning to remote learning, the board says.
Closed Catholic schools
Seven schools in the Toronto Catholic School Board were closed today:
- All Saints in Etobicoke
- Blessed Trinity in North York
- James Culnan in York
- Neil McNeil in Upper Beaches
- St. Brigid in East Danforth
- St. Gregory in Etobicoke
- St. Patrick in East Danforth
This is added to five closures of Catholic schools announced last week:
- St. Dominic Savio in Scarborough
- St. Eugene in Etobicoke
- St. Jude in North York
- St. Roch in North York
- St. Rose of Lima in Scarborough
Also closed today are two schools not affiliated with the two larger school boards:
- Independent school Abu Bakr in Scarborough
- French school George Étienne Cartier in Beach Hill
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