As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to virtual class, some GTA school boards are using the new tool to avoid students losing a day of learning due to bad weather.

The TDSB said 18 students and one staff member at Thorncliffe Park Public School tested positive for coronavirus.

"We know even from the latest literature that when schools were closed, there were harms associated with it," Toronto's associate medical officer of health said.

The Toronto District School Board says Lester B. Pearson Collegiate Institute remains open.

According to the Toronto District School Board, 312 TDSB students between kindergarten and Grade 3 were suspended during the 2018-19 school year.

"Toronto Public Health has determined that while this is an outbreak, the school does not need to be closed and so we continued on," a TDSB spokesperson said. "The teachers feel differently and they are on a work-stoppage today."

Here are the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic in the Greater Toronto Area for Monday.

'Principals and vice-principals, who are 10-month employees, were required to start their work year early this year to begin preparing schools for the safe return of students and staff.'

The chair of the Toronto District School Board said while it's unclear where the students who were expected to enroll have gone -- whether to private school, a homeschooling situation or a public school in a different city -- the board wants to ensure that those who remain feel comfortable.

The Toronto District School Board says it has seen 5,500 fewer students enrolled in classes this fall compared to what it had anticipated for the school year.