Masks and other COVID-19 restrictions are being removed from schools in Ontario after next week’s March Break. To the public elementary teachers union in this region, it’s all about politics and the June election, not science.
Lori Ridley-White is regional president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario. She says her group wants the province to move forward with more caution, and delay things a bit.
“Follow the science tables, follow the advice from the pediatric medical professionals,” she urges.
Ridley-White adds that moving too quickly could mean another move to remote learning. ETFO believes in-person learning is the best, and reducing COVID-19 restrictions too soon puts staff and students at risk.
“We have very crowded classrooms in some cases; there’s been the ongoing air quality concerns; now we don’t know the case counts in schools.”