Students wrapped up the school year today without any indication of what to expect in the fall but Education Minister Stephen Lecce says that his government will soon release a “detailed plan” focused on getting kids back in the classroom.

Ontario schools have been closed for in-person learning since April but Ford government officials have insisted that students will finally be able to return to classrooms in the fall.

They have, however, provided few details on how the return to school will be structured and what precautions will be taken to ensure that COVID-19 does not spread among students ages 12 and under, who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Lecce said that his government has provided some “early guidance” to school boards but will be providing a more detailed plan “in the coming weeks with a focus on returning with a new normal for Ontario children.”

He said that the plan will allow students to experience “extracurricular, clubs and sports” once again after most of those activities were put on hold this year amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19.

“We look forward to receiving that final advice from the chief medical officer of health shortly and we will be releasing it obviously with the intention of getting all kids back (in classrooms). We know how important it is and we are on the side of parents who want to see that happen,” he said.

Lecce’s comments on Tuesday come in the wake of both the Liberals and NDP releasing their vision for the resumption of classes in the fall.

The NDP want class sizes capped at 15 while the Liberals are pushing for maximum class sizes of 20, along with $500 million in additional investments in ventilation upgrades.

At his news conference, Lecce noted that his government “is firmly committed to getting all children back in class fulltime this September” and has already announced an additional $500 million in funding to school boards for the coming academic year which will help them ensure that in-person learning can be carried out safely.

Ontario’s new Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr, Kieran Moore also commented on the potential return to classrooms in a subsequent briefing with reporters on Tuesday afternoon, noting that the hope is that students “can return to a safe school environment that is as close as possible to the pre-pandemic normal.”

“It's up to all of us, every Ontarian, to keep our community risk community rate of infection low, so that we can all open safely,” he said.