Teachers unions push for return of mask mandates as absences in Waterloo region schools climb

The unions representing teachers in Waterloo region warn something must be done as COVID-19 cases continue to climb and teacher absences rise to an all-time high.

Meanwhile local school boards say they won’t impose mask mandates without the backing of the province.

The president of the local unit of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association, Patrick Etmanski (OECTA) said it has been an uphill battle since the mask mandate was lifted in the province in March. Etmanski said staff are having a hard time dealing with many staff absences. On average, in the region, there are around a hundred staff absences a day, Etmanski said.

“They are worried. They’re uncomfortable. They’re angry,” Etmanski said. “The kids are put in a position where they are not being serviced or getting the education that they deserve. And teachers and other educational workers are put in a position where maybe they’re dealing with a lot more students than they normally do.”

Earlier this month, St. Teresa of Calcutta in Cambridge temporarily closed because it was short-staffed.

Both the local public and Catholic school boards say they are firm in their approach that masks are still encouraged but not required.

“[We] recognize that people have a choice with this,” said jeewan chanicka, director of education for the Waterloo Region District School Board.

In a statement to CTV Kitchener, Loretta Notten, director of education for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board said:

“It is not fair to our staff to ask them to enforce a position that has not been recommended by those tasked with guiding us, as we know not everyone supports their [masks] return. We need to hold all considerations in balance, and we do know for some students learning without masks may be better for their well-being and learning.”

The elementary teachers’ union in the region said if the mask mandate hadn’t been lifted, things wouldn’t be in the dire state they are now.

Rob Gascho, president of the Waterloo Region Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation said he believes the mask mandates were ended prematurely.

"I would support putting them back in place, at least as long as we continue to experience such high rates of absence due to COVID illness and isolation, which has caused the cancelation of some classes, and threatens our ability to keep schools open and provide in-person learning for students," Gascho said.

This week the Thames Valley District School Board approved a mask “requirement.” That isn’t the same as a mask mandate, but does tell students and staff to wear masks when indoors.

Both Waterloo boards said staff are concerned about the possibility of closing schools due to staff shortages.

“We have spent a lot of time creating multiple layers of support with occasional staff and deploying staff to different schools across the region to really help us keep schools open,” said jeewan chanicka, the director of education for the WRDSB.