Doug Ford updates back-to-school plan amid criticism from teachers

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Premier Doug Ford said Ontario’s back-to-school plan will be unveiled next week, a crucial post-pandemic step that a leader of a local teachers’ union says is already long overdue.

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The prime minister told reporters on Wednesday that the comprehensive back-to-school plan will include ensuring classrooms have adequate ventilation, according to the Canadian Press. Ontario experienced the longest in-person learning disruption in Canada during COVID-19.

The government and the (education) ministry have since April had to develop a plan for the fall, said Craig Smith, local president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario. We need a plan and we need it now.

There is a little over a month until school resumes for Ontario students, including the 100,000 children who attend Catholic and public schools in the London area. Smith says the plan will make everyone comfortable with the comeback.

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Teachers need it for their peace of mind, parents need it to reassure them that schools are safe for their children and school boards need to know what they need to do to keep these things in place, Smith said. .

Ontario students spent the last six weeks of the 2020-21 school year, after the April spring break, learning at home amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19 induced by variants.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said it is consulting with Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Kieran Moore and Sick Kids Hospital when developing the plan.

Earlier this week, Ford said it expects children to be back in classrooms in September. They will be in class, even if I have to open a school bus and drive them myself, he said.

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But that doesn’t suit Smith, who fears that if the government relies on high immunization rates to stem epidemics and keep the school safe, it could end up being a year in reverse again.

There has been a lot of talk about vaccinations, especially among 12 to 17 year olds, he said. The challenge we have is that it’s great for high school because it’s their age group. But for the 90 percent of students 11 and under, there is no vaccination plan for them at this point.

All the more reason that the plan they are proposing must be in place to keep these children safe and keep them in school until vaccination becomes an option for them.

NDP education critic Marit Stiles said a plan is needed to avoid the chaos and confusion of last September and October because the system was not prepared enough.

Ontario students have missed 26 weeks of in-person learning since March 2020, more than any other province, Stiles said.

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