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Elementary and secondary schools students will both return to the classroom five days a week in the fall and they will be greeted by an environment that more closely resembles the pre-pandemic normal with the return of field trips, school assemblies, music programming and extracurricular activities.
The Ministry of Education released a 26-page document today that will guide the return to the classroom in September.
The document lays out a plan for both elementary and secondary students to return to school fulltime, unless they opt to participate in remote learning which will continue to be made available by school boards.
Protective strategies:
The government says no specific measure will prevent transmission of COVID-19, but says a combination of many efforts will keep students safe.
Non-medical masks will be required for students Grade 1 to 12 and must be worn in hallways, classrooms, and school vehicles.
Masks may only be temporarily removed when taking part in low-contact physical activity or when consuming food and drink, the government says. Students from other cohorts may eat lunch together without distancing outdoors, but must remain two metres from other cohorts while indoors.
Key takeaways from Ontario’s back-to-school plan:
- Staff and teachers will not be required to take COVID-19 vaccines.
- Students from Grade 1 to 12 are required to wear masks indoors (with exceptions such as low-contact physical activity and during eating).
- Staff and students must screen themselves every day using the tool provided by the province, although in some cases schools may be directed to do enhanced screening.
- Anyone experiencing symptoms per the provincial screening tool should not attend school and potentially get tested or seek medical attention.
- School boards are expected to have all ventilation systems inspected and in good condition before the start of school year.
- School boards without mechanical ventilation (those that rely on windows to bring in fresh air) are expected to place standalone high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter units in all classrooms.
