TORONTO – There are trips, school assemblies, music education and extracurricular activities in the return-to-school plan released yesterday by the Ministry of Education. Twenty-nine pages that contain the plan for the full-time return of both elementary and high school students even if the option of distance learning always remains valid. From September, students “will attend face-to-face classes every day for the entire school day (five hours of instruction) in elementary and secondary schools throughout the province. For secondary schools, “some school councils may implement an alternate week or ‘modified semester’ pattern.”

The plan comes as Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Ontario and public health officials express concern about a potential fourth wave triggered by the spread of the most contagious Delta variant among unvaccinated people.

However, this does not seem to have dissuaded the Ford government from pursuing a return to the classroom as normal as possible as requested by a number of experts, even at the elementary level where most students are not yet of age to receive a Covid-19 vaccine that has only been approved for those 12 years and older.

The province’s plan contains only a brief mention of vaccinations: “School councils are encouraged to work with local public health units to contact families in order to promote vaccinations,” the document reads.

The Ontario Science Advisory Table has recommended that vaccination status “should be reported to schools,” but this suggestion is not included in the province’s plan. The Ministry of Education says it takes a “measured approach” to reopening schools that will emphasize screening and cleaning to keep the rapidly spreading Delta variant at bay.

Mandatory masks
All students from grade 1 to 12 will have to wear masks indoors with “reasonable exceptions” and all staff and visitors will be subject to the same directive. Masks will also be mandatory on all school buses. Masks can be temporarily removed, with a minimum physical distance of two meters, when eating/drinking or during physical education classes. In the open air, children will not have to wear masks but are required to keep physical distancing. Kindergarten students are instead “encouraged but not obliged” to wear masks inside and on school vehicles.

Classes of students
The government’s plan is to keep elementary school students from kindergarten through grade 8 in class for the whole day with a teacher: he does not come for; mentioned the number of students who can be part of the same group. Members of different classes will be able to interact outdoors while they are spaced out and inside if in addition to maintaining physical distance they also wear masks.

Distance learning
Families who prefer to continue with distance learning will have this option, the Ministry said, with school boards “which are required to provide students who take online classes with 300 minutes of learning…”. In the event that schools are forced to close again, “school councils should have plans in place so that they can quickly switch to distance learning to ensure educational continuity for students.”

Screening and cleaning
In addition to the mandatory nature of masks, according to the guidelines of the province “all staff and students must have a self-screening every day before going to school”. “School councils should provide parents with a checklist to perform daily screening of their children before arriving at school and self-assessment tools should be made available to staff to ensure awareness of the possible symptoms of Covid-19.” The ministry also states that “boards should develop a program for cleaning and disinfecting schools” and schools “should educate students on adequate hand hygiene including disinfection using alcohol-based products (ABHR)”. “School boards should devise a program for cleaning and disinfecting schools, including reviewing existing practices to determine where improvements could be made, including frequency and timing of cleaning and disinfection, areas to be cleaned and/or disinfected, choice of cleaning products, child safety, staff, signage and PPE for cleaning staff.”

Ventilation
The Ministry states that for schools with full mechanical ventilation, the superintendents should have all ventilation systems inspected and operated before the start of the school year and put the ventilation systems into operation 2 or more hours before and after the arrival of the students. For schools without mechanical ventilation, school councils “should place high-efficiency air particulate filters (HEPA) in all classrooms and learning environments.”

Music education
The Ministry states that musical programs will be allowed in areas with adequate ventilation, including singing and the use of wind instruments.

Physical education
Physical education classes resume, including the use of gyms and swimming pools. Activities involving physical contact are allowed only outdoors without a mask. Activities with little contact are allowed inside: masks, in this case, are not mandatory.