Toronto School Board Objects to Administering an Unsafe Plan
The TDSB's plans had students being dismissed earlier than normal, which would have permitted students to be with their homeroom teacher the full day and then would have freed up rotary teachers to take homeroom classes instead of going from class to class, increasing the number of classes in a school and therefore reducing class sizes. Their first plan requested a $200 million investment in order to hire the staff required to ensure physical distancing would be possible. Their second plan proposed to use some government funding and some school board reserves as well as moving teachers who were seconded to other assignments back into the classroom. However the TDSB indicated that this plan would still not meet the required 15-20 students in a class to ensure physical distancing. The government rejected both plans, claiming
the reason it was
unwilling to put forward the funds required was
because the plans did
not maximize the time students spent in class.
It said it would not
accept plans which would see earlier dismissals.
In other words, the
government wants to keep students in school as
long as is possible
rather
than ensuring that class sizes are small and
that teachers and
education workers are able to deliver the
education and supports
students require. This means that its aim is to
turn education into the
housing of students in an unsafe environment to
free up parents to
work, rather than to open schools in a manner
which affirms the right
of the youth to
education in the conditions of a pandemic. (Photo: J. Campbell)
This article was published in Article Link:   Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca |
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB),
Canada's largest school
board, put forward two proposals to the Ontario
government for
re-opening, both of which have been rejected.
Both plans would have
reduced class sizes in elementary schools which
under the government's
current plan are set to be the same as under
normal conditions.
Reducing class sizes is a key demand for
ensuring physical distancing
is possible, as recommended by medical experts,
which thus far the
government has ignored for elementary-aged
children. 