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Ontario Liberals pledge to re-introduce an optional Grade 13 if elected

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Ontario Liberal leader Steven Del Duca announced his government would reintroduce Grade 13 as an option if elected.

The Liberals say it is part of a plan to help kids recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their education.

Del Duca says an optional Grade 13 would give students the choice of spending more time on required courses for postsecondary education and offer new classes that will deepen their literacy in personal finances, civics and mental health and wellbeing.

The Liberals also say they would hire 1,000 more mental health professionals for students and staff, as well as add a special education worker for every school.

Del Duca announced other plans including lowering can capping class sizes at 20 in all grades province-wide, building 200 new schools and rebuild more than 4,500 schools, hiring 10,000 more teachers, hiring 5,000 more special education workers and expanding the Student Nutrition program to offer free breakfast, ending streaming and eliminate standardizes EQAO tests to replace them with a new assessment strategy.