Students at Etobicoke school dismissed, moving to remote learning after COVID-19 outbreak declared

A school in Toronto has been closed temporarily following a COVID-19 outbreak, Toronto Public Health announced.

Silverthorn Collegiate Institute will be closed effective Tuesday, Oct. 12, and all students will be moved to remote learning, Toronto Public Health declared on Monday, as all in-person classes and activities have been dismissed.

The school is on 291 Mill Road in Etobicoke.

The Toronto District School Board echoed the announcement shortly after, saying the closure will allow Toronto Public Health additional time to investigate the cases. TDSB did not indicate how long the closure would last.

"We're working closely with Toronto Public Health and helping in any way we can," TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird said.

"While we hope students can return to in-person learning shortly, it's not yet clear how long the dismissal will last as that will depend on the TPH investigation. In the meantime, all students will be moving to remote learning."

The outbreak was declared and the decision to close the school was made following an investigation over the weekend that revealed potential exposures to students across multiple grades.