'It won’t be school as usual': stakeholders say there is much to consider before schools reopen in Ontario

The reopening of schools in Ontario isn't just a question of when, but also how, with union and opposition representatives saying there is much to consider before students and staff start returning to classrooms. This includes how the province and schools will ensure the health and safety of students and staff, address gaps in learning and provide additional supports to those who need it.

All these questions have NDP education critic Marit Stiles calling on the Progressive Conservative government to create a working group specifically to focus on the reopening of schools. For its part, the Ministry of Education has said work is already underway with health officials, with Stiles arguing that while this is important, the government also needs to get the input of education stakeholders.

She said these discussions need to happen now because the reopening of both schools and all childcare centres are "absolutely essential core pieces of economic recovery."

"There should also be a working group which includes representatives of the workers, the staff, the boards and others to talk about what coming back to school will look like," Stiles said. "And the reason for that is it’s been pretty clear for some time now that it won’t be school as usual."

Whatever the new "normal" looks like, "significant resources" will be needed to address learning gaps and possible trauma that people might have experienced during the provincial shutdown, she said.

Stiles said one thing she's heard from several educators is their concern about mental health, especially during the pandemic, and the need for adequate child and youth workers and other supports for students and staff when they return to school.

"We don’t know exactly yet what return to school will look like, but we know it will be very different and that will be a difficult transition for students and staff alike," she said. "We know as well that many of our students, particularly our students who have learning challenges or who are special needs, will have really lacked in support over this period...so those students in particular are going to need a significant input of additional resources and support."

When it comes to schools reopening, the highest priority issue is the health and safety of students and educators, said Harvey Bischof, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation.

So "under what circumstances do they return and how does all of that work while maintaining safe and healthy schools?" he said.

The next thing to address will be how educators can "remediate the gaps" resulting from school closures, he said.

"We know that there are students who have for a variety of reasons disengaged from the distance learning that we are doing our best to provide," he said, adding that there will be students who have completed little of this semester's curriculum.

"We’ll have kids coming in an even wider spectrum of achievement of the previous year’s curriculum than we typically have," he said. "We have kids who are disadvantaged in their ability right now to engage with the curriculum, engage with this distance learning — how do we not further disadvantage them when they return to a face-to-face classroom?"

After the COVID-19 outbreak hit Ontario, the government did set up working groups that include union members to collaborate on providing remote learning for students. But Bischof said the reopening of schools hasn't been a focus so far.

"We have not had those discussions with the ministry, we’re doing work internally in terms of what we believe should happen upon the return to face-to-face learning so that we have positions that we can advocate for with the ministry but they have so far not asked for any input on that issue," Bischof said.

The union leader said he thinks a separate working group on the reopening of schools is a "good idea."

"I’m not convinced that it can be done within the existing groups because I think for reopening we’re talking about different kinds of expertise that are required than the work that’s being done right now to try to adapt to the period of closure," he said.

A spokesperson for the Toronto District School Board said some discussions have started within the board, but that they're awaiting further guidance from the government.

“While staff have begun discussing what returning to work and school may look like, there are still many unknowns at this point in time," said Ryan Bird in an email. "With that in mind, we are awaiting further direction from the Ministry of Education and public health officials before we can finalize any plans.”

The education ministry said it is working on plan for the reopening of schools with Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams and the province's command table.

Lecce said the decision to extend the closure of public schools until at least the end of this month was based on advice from Williams and the command table in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.

"We are going to ensure that safety remains our top priority, which is why we're providing an additional month extension for us to work with Dr. Williams and the command table to make sure we get this right," said Lecce. "We are consulting with a focus on ensuring safety of students and staff, so that when they return, they can do so with confidence that it is safe and in accordance to our medical experts."

Ontario's Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe recently offered some insight into changes schools could see. Screening staff and students and maintaining enough physical distance are some considerations, she said on April 23, adding that based on the knowledge they have, hand-washing and access to sanitizer will be the most important things when students return to school. She also stressed that ensuring parents don't send their children to school when they're sick will also be key.

As discussions continue in Ontario about when schools should reopen, other provinces and countries are starting to take steps towards this, with Stiles saying she'll be watching closely.

"We’re all going to be watching what other jurisdictions are attempting and learning from that and our government would do well to be watching that very carefully," she said.

The Quebec government has said it will start reopening elementary schools and daycares outside of the Montreal region on May 11 and that the Montreal area would follow on May 19. High schools and universities are set to stay closed until the fall.

As reported in the Montreal Gazette, classes will have a maximum of 15 students and breaks will be staggered. Only one student per bench will be allowed on school buses and there will be a shield to separate the driver from the students.

"I think a lot of us will be watching what happens in Quebec," Stiles said, adding that she knows of families who will not be sending their children back to school because they don't feel it's safe to do so right now.

"People aren’t going to be rushing to send their children to school or to childcare if they don’t feel like the time has been taken and that the resources are there to ensure that their children are going to be kept safe," she said.

But there are jurisdictions beyond Canada's borders that are also drawing attention.

"We’ve seen in some jurisdictions in Europe where they’re bringing back smaller classes, having children sit very far apart, those are obvious things that you’d be looking at," Stiles said, adding that for some schools already facing crowded classrooms in Ontario, a reopening of schools could mean sending students back in shifts.

Denmark started reopening its schools for elementary students up to Grade 5 two weeks ago, becoming the first country in Europe to do so. Photos published in the New York Times show students lined up to wash their hands or sitting in classes where desks are stationed far apart.

At one school in southern Denmark, parents were barred from entering the school and at recess, students were only allowed to play in small groups, the NYT reported. Frequent hand-washing — at least once every hour — was also adopted and there were markings on the floors in the school to indicate how far students should stand from each other.

School closures in Ontario have been extended until at least May 31, with the government saying that if they do reopen, staff would have access to their schools on May 29.

Bischof said he hopes whenever schools do reopen, that the government will give educators more time in their classrooms before students return.

"It’s going to take a longer time for educators to be prepared to restart face to face learning in a different environment from the one we left, because surely it will be a different environment," he said.

Photo Credit: Madonik Rick Madonik/Toronto Star