'Nothing new': More questions than answers in Ontario's back-to-school plan, teachers' unions say
Ontario's newly announced back-to-school plan falls short on providing guidance surrounding vaccines and contact tracing, teachers' unions in Waterloo Region say.
"It's just a revision of what we've been doing for the past 18 months and there's nothing really of substance, nothing new," said Patrick Etmanski with Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association Waterloo Region.
Ontario's plan for September, revealed on Tuesday, will see all students able to return to the classroom full time for the first time in months.
Remote learning will still be an option.
The 26-page plan outlines additional safety protocols, including self-screening for symptoms daily, but did not provide information on how schools will deal with COVID-19 outbreaks or if there will be different rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated students.
The Ontario government said additional information is "forthcoming."
"People are wondering what the heck is going on when it comes to things like testing and tracing, what is that going to look like in September," said Jeff Pelich with Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, Waterloo Region.
Among other safety guidelines, masks will be mandatory for all students between Grade 1 and Grade 12, but aren't required outdoors or while eating.
The government says school boards must be prepared for potential closures if the COVID-19 situation worsens.
The union for public high school teachers says the plan to have secondary students return to only two courses a semester is not what the local board planned for – a plan the union says was approved by the province months ago.
"Now it appears anyway that we're being told to go to quadmester and that's going to be extremely frustrating," said Rob Gascho with Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation Waterloo Region.
For parents and students in the area, the plan has drawn mixed reactions.
"I'd go to school, it's my parents' decision and I get to see my friends, but I would stay home if I had the decision," said Grade 5 student Angela Rikita.
Some parents are now left wondering if school boards will allow them to rethink their decisions about in-person or remote learning.
"Instead of sending them in person we'd rather go online or instead of going online, we'd rather send them in person. Is there going to be that option for parents? Are they going to reopen that discussion?" said parent Wendy Ashby.
With files from CTV Toronto.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.