Tag Archives: Safe September

Ontario’s Directives for Return to School

August 10, 2021

On August 3, 2021, Ford’s government released a 26-page document outlining its directives for elementary and secondary students returning to school five days per week for the first time in months. As Robin Ureck noted in this Globe and Mail opinion piece from August 5, 2021 entitled, “Ontario’s COVID-19 back-to-school plan: hoping, praying and replaying”,  “one would think the Ford government would throw absolutely everything in its arsenal at this last vulnerable space: a comprehensive rapid testing program, ventilation overhauls with monitoring, windows that actually open in all classrooms, vaccination requirements for teachers and older students, and so forth. Instead, it seems to have merely recycled last year’s plan, tweaked a few details and added in some questionable new permissions.”

 

Opposition parties have universally lambasted the Ford government’s directives on back to school for September 2021:

 

Education advocates have also expressed concerns about Ford’s back-to-school directives. Annie Kidder, Executive Director of People for Education, has noted how surprising it is that there was hardly anything about vaccinations or about what would happen if there is an outbreak in schools outlined in the Ford government’s back-to-school directives.

 

Wendy Goodes took the Ontario Science Table’s recommendations and compared those to what was actually released by the Ford government, to highlight many shortcomings of Ontario’s directives for back-to-school this September.

And the Ontario Parent Action Network (OPAN) expressed its disappointment to the Ford government’s directives for September immediately following the announcement.

https://twitter.com/parentaction4ed/status/1422922051262767105

 

And folks such as Amy Greer, who was a co-author on the Ontario Science Table school document expressed outrage about the Ford government’s return to school directives.

Much like last year’s directives on back-to-school from the Ford government, this year’s directives appear to rely heavily on low community spread of COVID-19 and its Delta variant in order for schools to be safe. With Ontario’s reproduction rate at 1.38 and daily counts rising, Ford’s “plan” seems like anything but a good one for our children’s safe return to in-person learning five days a week this September.

What’s the Plan Premier Ford and Minister Lecce?

July 22, 2021

What is the plan for September for Ontario’s 2-million elementary and high school students to safely resume in-person learning? Having experienced the longest interruption of face-to-face learning in Canada, Ontario’s children surely deserve to be prioritized by Premier Ford and Minister Lecce. As we’ve previously stated, we believe that the Ford government has:

and in so doing, our provincial government has ultimately failed Ontario’s students and their families and our economy. Fix Our Schools sincere hope is that we will see a change in the approach of the Ford government as we head into the 2021/22 school year.

We read with interest the Ontario Science Table’s recent science briefing entitled, “School Operation for the 2021- 2022 Academic Year in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic” that was released on July 19, 2021. This science briefing emphasized that education is “children’s essential work”, that schools are of critical importance to students’ learning and overall well-being, and that in-person schooling is optimal for the vast majority of students.

The focus of the Fix Our Schools campaign continues to be ensuring safe, healthy, well-maintained school buildings that provide environments conducive to learning and working for all Ontario students, teachers, and education workers. With this lens in mind, we were struck by the attention given in the science briefing to special considerations required for rural, remote, and Indigenous communities; to indoor air quality (IAQ), achieved through proper ventilation and filtration; and to hand hygiene:

Indigenous Communities 

The July 19th science briefing clearly acknowledged that, “for rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented additional distinctive and substantial challenges for education delivery which has expanded inequities”. Specific to school infrastructure, the science briefing highlighted the following points:

  1. Ensure clear accountability for education support whether through federal or provincial resources.
  2. Remote learning is less accessible, due to technological challenges, in these communities.
  3. Aging infrastructure, including older HVAC and supplemental ventilation/filtration systems in many remote First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities may impact the ability to properly ventilate schools and ensure adequate air quality, particularly during local outbreaks and in the colder months when opening windows is not an option.
  4. Schools in remote, rural, and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities that do not meet the appropriate minimum ventilation guidelines from ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2019, should be prioritized for upgrades.
  5. Overcrowded education infrastructure in some remote First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities could make preventative measures such as cohorting and physical distancing difficult and could result in the need to shift to remote learning in some instances, further contributing to high rates of disengagement. Appropriate resources should be provided to ensure adequate space is available to support consistent in-person learning in these communities, and to ensure equitable access to digital learning resources.

Fix Our Schools must highlight that Canada’s federal government is responsible for First Nations School Infrastructure, and that even prior to the challenges of COVID-19, overcrowding, disrepair, and, unbelievably, something as essential as safe drinking water have all been issues that schools for Ontario’s Indigenous communities. Furthermore, our federal government was very late to provide what appears to have been grossly inadequate funding last summer for First Nations schools to be able to ensure a safe and effective reopening of schools in September 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

With these realities as context, Prime Minister Trudeau, Carolyn Bennett, our federal Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, and Marc Miller, our federal Minister of Indigenous Services must prioritize education and schools for all Indigenous Peoples for a safe return to school for September 2021.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

As stated in the July 19th science briefing, “given the importance of indoor air quality for overall health and learning, achieving adequate ventilation in schools is an important investment to support improved health, academic performance and to assist in preventing the spread of several infectious diseases.”

The recommendations for achieving and maintaining adequate air quality through ventilation and filtration, as taken directly from the July 19, 2001 science briefing, are as follows:

  1. A systematic approach to identifying and prioritizing schools for ventilation upgrades should be undertaken. As a starting point, schools that do not meet the appropriate minimum ventilation guidelines from The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 62.1-2019, should be prioritized for upgrades.
  2. Invest in school heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system infrastructure and regular maintenance. This is of particular importance in schools where the system does not support good indoor air quality. HVAC systems can be optimized for a variety of objectives which may change in priority depending on the context, e.g., COVID-19 pandemic, extreme cold/heat events.
  3. During the pandemic, HVAC system function has been recommended to be optimized for respiratory particle removal (e.g., use of the highest rated Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) filter that can be accommodated by the system, regular inspection of filters assembly, routine replacement of filters). In consultation with experts in physical plant design, air exchange rate and outdoor air intake can be increased. The limits of what is possible may be dictated by thermal comfort, humidity, and outdoor air quality.
  4. Consideration can be given to increasing ventilation/filtration above the minimum ASHRAE guidelines, where possible, where more respiratory aerosols are likely to be generated (e.g., music room, auditorium, cafeteria, gymnasium).
  5. Additional strategies can be used to improve air quality while awaiting HVAC system upgrades including the use of available outdoor learning environments; the opening of windows; and the use of portable air cleaners with high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter units in classrooms may be considered in spaces/classrooms with limited ability to achieve adequate ventilation (i.e., unable to open windows, no/insufficient HVAC ventilation), taking into consideration the transmission risk (e.g., age, classroom activities, community epidemiology). Please see page 19-20 of the science briefing for detailed recommendations on portable air cleaners. 
  6. Monitoring ventilation: It is important that HVAC and supplemental ventilation/filtration systems are regularly maintained and that measures are checked with the goal of optimization (e.g., air exchange rates, outdoor air intake, temperature, humidity). Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels can serve as a proxy measure for overall ventilation, but the CO2 level does not necessarily correlate with SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk. While CO2 monitoring has been suggested to be helpful when done properly, it requires expertise and communication and should not detract from ventilation upgrades.

Fix Our Schools urges the Ontario Science Table to acknowledge that all of these recommendations also require adequate, stable funding from the provincial government. And, while we agree that ventilation upgrades must be pursued immediately, we also must emphasize the importance of ultimately having in place:

  • commonly defined and understood standards for indoor air quality (IAQ)
  • acceptable tools and methods to ensure that all Ontario classrooms meet those IAQ standards

A July 20, 2021 Toronto Star article entitled, “What are Durham schools doing to improve ventilation, air quality for this fall?” outlines details on the ventilation and air-quality improvements that will be in place as students return to the classroom in four local school boards. Yet, readers are left wondering what these improvements have achieved in terms of outcomes of improved IAQ in classrooms.

A July 15, 2021 Toronto Star article entitled, “Ontario is opening up for Step 3: What you need to know as you head inside to share air with strangers” also outlines steps being taken to improve the indoor air quality of businesses and public spaces. Yet, readers are left wondering what actually constitutes “acceptable” IAQ (i.e. standards). These gaps must be filled with standards and measurement tools.

Hand Hygiene

As the July 19th science briefing outlines, “routine, frequent and proper hand hygiene (soap and water or hand sanitizer) is important in limiting transmission and should continue to be encouraged in schools. Routine hand hygiene is also beneficial for the prevention of many other childhood infections that have the potential to disrupt school attendance (e.g., gastrointestinal viral illnesses).”

Fix Our Schools urges the Ontario Science Table to acknowledge that access to proper hand-washing facilities is wanting in many Ontario classrooms, as is illustrated in this video. Accessible, effective hand-washing facilities require adequate, stable funding from the provincial government, as does having sufficient caretakers in each school to ensure soap dispensers are filled in a timely manner.

There is much work to be done in to ensure schools are safe and healthy environments for all students, teachers and education workers – not only as the Ford government and the Trudeau government plan for and invest in a safe return to school this coming September, but for the long-term.

 

Make Children a Priority Now

June 28, 2021

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently took a deep dive into the state of school education one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. A strong, yet imperfect, relationship emerged between how countries historically value education and how frequently schools have been shut down to in-person learning during the pandemic.

Ontario has had repeated and prolonged school closures since the start of the pandemic. Students lost approximately 70 days of in-person learning in 2020, and have lost another 65 days of in-person schooling in the Greater Toronto Area in 2021. Given the OECD research, perhaps this speaks to a general lack of regard for publicly funded education and schools in this province. At Fix Our Schools, we certainly believe that Premier Ford and Minister Lecce have consistently failed to prioritize Ontario’s children, their schools and education, and their mental health. This failure may emerge as a “generational catastrophe”, according to Stefania Giannini, the top education specialist at UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

In a CBC interview on The House, Giannini said that about 90% of the global student population has been impacted by school closures during the pandemic and that, “the UN has warned that unless education is prioritized, the world could be facing a “generational catastrophe.”  She urges governments to “think of education as a third pillar — along with health and job creation — that’s needed to end and recover from the COVID-19 crisis.”  

Closer to home, several Ontario organizations are also ringing alarm bells that publicly funded education and schools absolutely must be a priority as we transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic:

Letter to Premier Ford from the Ontario Science Table, Released on May 29, 2021

The Wilfred Laurier research briefing confirms that the following  significant harms to Ontario students have been caused by school closures. This research briefing also confirms that these harms have fallen most heavily on vulnerable populations such as students with lower socioeconomic backgrounds, racialized children and youth, newcomers, and students with disabilities:

  • Substantial deterioration of mental health status among children and youth, which will present significant long-term challenges during our recovery from the pandemic.
  • Reduction in school attendance and student achievement
  • Loss of skills development and in lifetime earnings for Ontarians
  • Reduction of social connections
  • For some Ontarians, school closures meant missing meals and other critical health services.

Beyond the findings on the impact of COVID-19 on Ontario’s students, the research paper cited above also points to the “need for an explicit education recovery strategy that is informed by data and measurement. It also highlights a significant challenge for the province: there are extensive data gaps and there has been a lack of ongoing consistent evaluation over the last year, both of which are needed for effective evaluation and recovery”.

The letter to Premier Ford from the COVID-19 Science Table also contains a look to September and beyond. The letter states that “summer will provide an ideal time to make the whole school system even safer by continuing to improve ventilation in school buildings and by vaccinating students. Moreover, Ontario should now start developing recovery plans to address the long-term mental health, health and educational problems arising from COVID-19-related school closures. This will require investments.”

OPSBA Discussion Paper, Released on May 27, 2021

The OPSBA discussion paper is designed to elicit collaborative dialogue with education partners by identifying key questions to build on current observations, identify the need for further study, and to create a frame for a new vision for school. Recognizing the COVID-19 pandemic as “one of the great social and economic disruptors of our time, with widespread impact on one of society’s most traditional institutions – school”, OPSBA’s discussion paper states, “We can’t pretend this educational roller-coaster hasn’t left many students isolated, their parents stressed and some teachers on the brink of burnout. Nor can we ignore the fact low-income and racialized families were hit hardest by both the virus and the switch to online learning. The truth is, COVID-19 reinforced inequities many students face.”

Fix Our Schools agrees wholeheartedly with OPSBA that “this is a rare once-in-a-lifetime chance to reset how Ontario provides education, a critical moment that needs everyone’s voice – students, educators, parents, trustees, everyone in our school communities.”  As Fix Our Schools previously stated, “beyond basic health and safety needs, we also need a vision of excellence for Ontario’s schools and education that is better than what was considered “normal” prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that this vision for excellence absolutely must be developed with input from all education stakeholders.” Given that Ford’s government was elected having a scant education policy platform, the Ford government has no mandate from the electorate to determine a vision for public education and schools without input. Ontario’s children and youth are going to need to be prioritized for many years to come.

What is Next Premier Ford and Minister Lecce?

Premier Ford and Minister Lecce: Are you willing to acknowledge that public education and schools in this province are as important as public health and job creation in order to end and recover from the COVID-19 crisis? Are you willing to prioritize and invest in public education and schools in this province? Are you willing to be transparent, and use data, standards and metrics to ensure Ontario’s students get what they deserve? So far, the answer seems to be NO.

While British Columbia seems actively planning for a safe and “almost normal” back to school, Ontario’s provincial government says they will get back to us in July about what September may look like. While Doug Ford’s government continues to stall and dither on making firm investments and commitments to Ontario’s schools and education system, the Liberals announced their “Education Recovery Plan” to significantly invest in smaller class sizes, mental health, special education, learning recovery supports, safe schools and a supportive start to the school year.

The Liberals noted that every dollar invested in education returns $1.30 to our economy and that the Ontario Liberal Education Recovery Plan would pay for itself in money returned to our economy, and therefore returned to the province in increased tax revenue. Specific to school infrastructure, the Liiberals called for:

  • Cancellation of Highway 413 once and for all and a reinvestment of the $8 billion in savings into building and repairing schools, so that our children can learn in state of the art facilities measured by publicly-reported standards.

  • $525 million of provincial funding immediately (to match federal investment in urgent upgrades) to improve ventilation and filtration systems, air conditioning and window upgrades that will significantly and permanently improve air safety for COVID-19 and other illnesses.

While Fix Our Schools acknowledges that the Ontario Liberals had 15 years in power to truly fix our publicly funded schools, we appreciate the thought and specificity of their Education Recovery Plan and will be sure to hold them to account as the provincial election cycle unfolds.