OSSTF and ETFO called on Ford government to improve safety in schools

BY PAUL JUNOR

On Thursday, December 30^th, 2021 the Ontario government released a news release titled, “Ontario Updating Public Health Measures and Guidance in Response to Omicron.” This can be seen at the Ontario’s government website:news.ontario.ca.

The press release indicated that changes would go into effect with respect to updated testing and isolation guidelines. It states, “Effective December 31^st, publicly-funded PCR testing will be available only for high-risk individuals who are symptomatic and/or at risk of severe illness from COVID-19, including for the purposes of confirming a COVID-19 diagnosis to begin treatment, and workers and residents in the highest risk settings. Members of the general public with mild symptoms are asked not to seek testing.”

Furthermore, “Most individuals with a positive result from a rapid antigen test will no longer be required or encouraged to get a confirmatory PCR or rapid molecular test.” Changes in the isolation periods will go into effect depending on whether one is healthy, vaccinated or unvaccinated.

The press release notes, “Individuals with COVID-19 who are vaccinated, as well as children under twelve, will be required to isolate for five days following the onset of symptoms. Their household contacts are also required to isolate.”  In addition, “Non-household contacts are required to self-monitor for ten days. Individuals who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or immunocompromised will be required to be isolated for ten days.”

On Monday, January 3^rd, 2022 the provincial government announced that there would be additional changes, which would see students engaged in remote learning from January 5^th, 2022 to January 17^th, 2022. There has been much negative response from different education unions to these announced changes.

The provincial OSSTF/FEESO released a statement on Monday, January 3^rd, 2022 titled, “Ford fails to fortify the public school system to protect students and communities.” The statement reads, “Today’s announcement does not go nearly far enough. Without increasing access to COVID-19 testing, providing full access to enhanced PPE, guaranteeing priority access to booster vaccines for educators, ensuring HEPA filters are in place in schools, and reducing class sizes to allow for physical distancing. The Premier cannot say he is doing everything he can to protect students, staff and communities.”

The statement identified seven areas in which the government has failed Ontario’s schools by:

• Cancelling contact tracing
• Reducing access to PCR testing
• Ending transparent reporting of case counts in schools
• Excluding schools from occupancy caps similar to those for households and businesses

• Failing to reduce class sizes to ensure REAL co-horting and physical distancing can be established

• Failing to have N95 masks ready for deployment
• Leaving education workers and teachers without priority access to vaccination and boosters

A second teachers’ union, ETFO, also released a statement on Monday, January 3^rd, 2022. Karen Brown, ETFO President stated, “As the pandemic surges, the Ford government must invest in infection prevention and control measures that ensure in-person learning can continue safely and sustainably. Last week’s decision came dangerously close to risking the safety of students and ETFO members.” It repeats several calls made by the OSSTF/FESSO in addition to others such as:

• HEPA filters should be installed in all classrooms and public/shared spaces in schools

• Rapid Antigen Tests must be provided to students and education workers to minimize absenteeism and learning loss

• There must be a plan to address staff absenteeism, which can

anticipate given the impact of isolation requirements on the health care sector and the spread of Omicron

• The Ford government must expand the paid sick leave program immediately

President Brown concludes, “Without the addition of these layers of protection, we are not confident that safe in-person learning can be sustained. We want to welcome students back in schools as quickly as possible, but schools must be safe, and we need to see more than a press conference or two to be assured that they are.”