Students who attend high schools in the Durham, Peel and Rainbow district school boards will be returning to the classroom today after the Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled that teachers in all three regions were striking illegally.

The OLRB ruling, which was released late Tuesday afternoon, states strikers must immediately cease and desist "their unlawful strike" and not resume for at least two weeks. All three boards confirmed that the decision will mean teachers and students are heading back to school on Wednesday.

Janet McDougald, chair of the Peel District School Board, admitted that Wednesday will be a "little bumpy" for returning students.

The board says buses will operate Wednesday but some delays are expected and cafeterias will remain closed.

"We had a pretty detailed entry plan because of the back-to-work legislation. We were working on that for a number of days. There are a few missing pieces but in general it will be up and running," she told CP24.

McDougald said teachers will be foregoing final examinations to allow for more instruction time.

"We understand there has been a gap here in instruction and content and so teachers will be prioritizing some of the items in the curriculum that are absolutely crucial building blocks that are pre-requisites that go with courses in order for them to take other courses."

Speaking with CP24 Tuesday night, Paul Elliott, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, the union representing the striking high school teachers, said the timing of the ruling proved to be difficult.

"...coming out at the end of the business day and people having to be back at work tomorrow, I think that’s an issue we are still grappling with and making sure our members are aware of the ruling and that they will be back in the schools tomorrow," he said. 

Elliott was quick to add that the OLRB decision does not necessarily mean the strikes are over for good.

"It’s a moratorium. It says basically cleanse your messaging up, change what’s on your signs and two weeks from now, you could be back on strike again."

Education Minister Liz Sandals said that while the ministry will not comment on the labour relations board order until their lawyers are finished reviewing the document, it doesn't change the government's desire to pass back-to-work legislation.

The legislation was tabled by the Liberals yesterday and is currently under debate.

"The focus at this point is that we have to get the students back in school and the only way that we can be sure that we get the students back in school and then have them stay in school for the rest of the school year is by passing the back-to-work legislation," Sandals told CP24 at Queen's Park Tuesday.

However some critics say it appears the legislation is now unnecessary.

“The reality is the Ontario Labour Relations Board deemed the strike by OSSTF in three different school districts across Ontario to be unlawful or in other words, illegal. Therefore the bill that we are going to debate all night until midnight is effectively irrelevant," PC MPP Lisa MacLeod said. 

The comments were echoed by NDP education critic Lisa Gretzky.

"This is just one more example of the government not really knowing the system. We are debating something that may have been a moot point," she said. 

"They could have waited until the OLRB had made the ruling."