Parents will know in the next “day or so” if kids will be going back to in-class learning next week. That from Premier Doug Ford Wednesday. He says he will be speaking with the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and consulting with his health table on whether kids will return to school amid soaring numbers of new COVID-19 cases.
The Elementary Teacher’s Federation is calling on individual Health Unit’s Medical Officer’s of Health to step in and prevent a return to in-class learning as scheduled. “Educators know that in-person learning provides the most effective and equitable learning environment, but unfortunately we are at the height of this pandemic. It makes no sense for the government to send students, teachers and education workers back to school while the province is locked for another two to three weeks,” said Sam Hammond, President of ETFO. “The provincial government’s failure to listen to the advice of medical professionals has resulted in the current crisis we are facing. So now, we are asking Public Health Units to use their authority to reconsider the decision to resume in-person learning for all elementary students on January 11.”
Meanwhile, Ford once again said everything is on the table when it comes to further public health restrictions including the possibility of a provincewide curfew. Quebec is reported to be considering a curfew and Ford says he will be speaking with that province’s premier tonight and his health table this afternoon and will announce a decision later this week, “Everything is urgent when it comes to this pandemic. We are moving at the pace of lightning…we [the health table] will make that decision later this week.”
