Tag Archives: #justrecovery

It’s Time to Remind Lecce and Ford that September is Approaching Fast

July 30, 2021

Time to Take Some Action

September is approaching fast. Premier Ford and Minister Lecce have yet to release a plan and associated funding for a safe and supportive return to school for Ontario’s 2-million students. Time is running out. Let’s remind our provincial government that we expect our children to be a priority and to have:

  • safe, healthy, well-maintained schools that provide environments conducive to learning
  • all the supports in place to recover, learn and thrive

https://twitter.com/parentaction4ed/status/1420135298298642437

Check out this action toolkit created by the Ontario Parent Action Network (OPAN) for easy-to-use resources developed by parents and education workers at a recent public Town Hall. Fix Our Schools is working with OPAN to prioritize Ontario’s children and ensure a safe return to school this fall. In this action toolkit, you will find: 

👉A FLYER to print out, and a PETITION

👉 A helpful outreach HOW-TO and tip sheet

👉Action listings to see if an outreach action is already being organized near you

👉Support for creating & registering an action! Invite others to join using our action form!

All of these great resources are ready to go whenever you are! Outreach can happen any day that works best for you – and no action is too small. If you are heading out to the baseball diamond or soccer pitch, that is a great opportunity to take copies of this flyer to hand out to other families. Or, if you are heading to the park or splash-pad or local market or to your workplace, these are also great opportunities to share this flyer. Consider printing some flyers and dropping them off to your neighbours. Remember to encourage others to contact Premier Ford, Minister Lecce and their local MPP to let them know their expectations. 

Ventilation, ventilation, ventilation…

September is approaching quickly and we know very little about the indoor air quality in our children’s classrooms.

Time is running out and we do need action as soon as possible.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) not only can prevent transmission of COVID-19 but also can impact people’s health, emotional well-being, learning and performance. So what is needed?

  • We need standards for IAQ and ventilation in Ontario’s schools and classrooms.
  • We need to measure IAQ and ventilation regularly against those standards.
  • We need transparency and clear, regular communication about these measurements and how they compare to those standards.
  • We need expertise from engineers and industrial/occupational hygienists
  • We need improvements to mechanical HVAC systems, windows, and portable fan/filtration systems

And to achieve this, we need provincial funding and leadership.

Ventilation is a key to safe, healthy schools and classrooms as we continue to face the COVID-19 challenge and as we move forward beyond the pandemic. To everyone working in the provincial government, and especially to Premier Ford and Minister Lecce:  Ontario’s children need your leadership and your commitment to providing adequate, stable funding for schools and education.