An announcement is expected this week from Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce on whether March Break will be cancelled for teachers and students across the province.
The Official Opposition is calling for the government to keep the break in place, while Ontario's doctors are concerned it could lead to another spike in COVID-19 cases.
The President of the Greater Essex Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, Mario Spagnuolo, says there's no proof on what effect a cancellation of March Break would have on COVID-19 cases.
Spagnuolo says looking at it from a public health perspective, he doesn't see how cancelling it would have a negative effect.
"Some families that are going to get together, they're going to get together on a weekend or Family Day. If that's what's happening, it doesn't matter if it's March Break or a weekend," he says. "I think there needs to be more from public health and I feel for them, because if people aren't listening to the recommendations, cancelling March Break isn't going to stop that attitude."
Spagnuolo says doesn't see the logic behind a cancellation.
"I can tell you it's had a huge impact on our members. They're feeling very negative about it because it's thrown them for a loop. It's created some instability in the system," he says.
Spagnoulo says there are confusing messages coming from the education minister.
"He also talks about when going back to in-person teaching and learning because of the mental stress it was having on families and kids, yet cancelling the March Break is going to have a huge effect on mental health and yet he doesn't recognize that."
Students and teachers across Windsor-Essex return to in-person learning on Monday for the first time since mid-December.