TORONTO – “School trustees are not doctors so they should simply follow the advice of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Kieran Moore.” Without mincing words, the premier of the province Doug Ford discourages the school boards from asking for extensions to the revocation of the obligation to use the mask set for March 21 and triggers the controversy. Trustees from the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) have formally requested that the province suspend the decision indefinitely due to concerns about the potential spread of Covid-19 when students return to school after the March Break. 

Despite pressure from various groups including the Ontario Principals’ Council and the Children’s Health Coalition, Ford does not seem willing to grant any postponement of the decision announced in recent days as part of the easing of restrictions. “Let me be very clear with the school councils: you are not an expert in medicine. The chief medical officer is the expert, has consulted other doctors and does not make these decisions lightly, so we expect school officials, with the exception of parents who want their children to wear masks, to follow Dr. Moore’s directions without ifs and buts. That’s what we hope and hope they will do.”

The words of the Premier of Ontario echoed those of the Minister of Education Stephen Lecce: school boards, he said, should follow the plan of the province that uses “one of the most cautious timelines” among the Canadian provinces.

At the moment, therefore, the provveditorati have no choice but to follow the directives of the government. Last Friday the Toronto District School Board formally notified parents of a number of changes to its Covid-19 policies and procedures, including the plan to temporarily revoke the obligation to wear a mask on March 21 unless Toronto Public Health and Ontario Moore’s Chief Medical Officer of Health agree to the request to “extend” the time before eliminating this protective equipment in schools.

The TDSB also said that in line with the Ontario government’s guidance, trustees voted to revoke the employee vaccination requirement policy as of March 14, paving the way for the return of the 100 permanent employees and 643 alternates who were put on leave in November for failing to comply with the policy. “We will obviously work with our schools to answer any questions they may have, but as of March 21 the vast majority of the measures will be lifted, although I want to emphasize that we are still ardently encouraging people to wear masks regardless,” TDSB spokesman Ryan Bird said.

To express concern about the “down the mask” decided by the government at the end of the March Break is also the Toronto Catholic District School Board. “We have taken up the concerns of our parents, our students and our staff who would like to have just a little more time, maybe another two weeks after returning from March Break,” said Toronto Catholic Commissioner spokesperson Angela Kennedy.

Eliminating masks when returning from the March Break is a decision criticized by many parties. Infectious disease specialist Isaac Bogoch also said he would have liked the obligation to be lifted two weeks later on March 21. “I think it’s a bit too early now. I would keep them for a few more weeks, I would observe how things go before and a few weeks after the March Break – he said – if the trajectory is still descending, if things are going in the right direction, then it’s okay, let’s take them off”.