LONDON, ONT -- Monday marks the start of a week of remote learning for most students across Ontario including thousands within local school boards.

On Dec. 21, the Government of Ontario announced a new lockdown and with it came the provision that schools would remain closed for at least a week following the holiday break.

However, unlike March Break in 2020 there would be no extension of the break, instead the government opted for a week of homeschooling before some students return to in school on Jan. 11.

Monday marks the start of remote learning for secondary students within the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB).

Unlike their elementary counterparts, secondary school students will be learning remotely through Jan. 22.

For parents of elementary school students there is still one more day to prepare as remote learning won’t begin until Tuesday.

For more information about remote learning for the TVDSB follow this link.

If your student attends a London District Catholic School Board school follow this link.

On Saturday education minister Stephen Lecce confirmed that Ontario plans to reopen schools as scheduled despite rising COVID-19 cases following the holiday break.

“I want to reassure parents that according to the province’s leading doctors, our schools are safe, with eight out of 10 schools in this province having no cases of COVID-19 and based on board reporting, 99.64 per cent of students have not reported a case of COVID-19,” wrote Lecce in a letter to parents.

Since school resumed in September the province has reported 5,103 cases of COVID-19 in students and 1,094 cases among school staff.

Nine-hundred and seventy-six of Ontario’s 4,828 schools have reported a case of COVID-19.

In the London region there have been a total of 171 school-linked cases reported since the return to classrooms.

With files from CTV Toronto.