Parents raise concerns about Ontario's back-to-school 'non-plan'

Some parents are expressing frustration at a lack of details and guidance in an Ontarioback-to-school plan they say doesn't match the reality of the classroom.

The Ontario governmentreleased the 29-page plan Tuesday afternoon, detailing what areturn to full-time in-class learning inSeptember will look like.

It requires students and staff wear masks indoors, but not that they be vaccinated. Extracurricular activities can return and remote learning remains an option.

The plan has been rebuked byopposition parties and unionsas inadequate and some parents agree.

"It's a lot of the same on fancy letterhead," saidMalaka Hendela, co-chair of theOttawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils. "This is a non-plan."

She feels more emphasis needs to be on when testing will be mandatory, especially given the rapid spread of the more contagious delta variant.

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Hendalais also concerned about the lack of announced fundingto pay for the same COVID-19 protectionsput in place last school year and new ones being mandated, like high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter units.

Education Minister Stephen Lecceannounced$25 million for filtration systemsWednesday morning.

Mary Crowe, a parent of two elementary school-age children who teaches kindergarten at Ottawa's Connaught Public School, is also worried about the more contagious delta variant.

It was identified as a variant of interest by the World Health Organization just ahead of what would be the last week of in-person learning in Ontario in early April.

Crowe saidthe past school year has shown it'sall but impossible to have a single teacher with a cohort of elementary school students,let alone keep them physically distanced with current class sizes.

"The bottom line here is we're still going to have 30 kids squished into one little classroom," she said.

"I'm not sure that we won't see it rip through classroom after classroom this fall."

Local flexibility

Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Medical Officer of Health for the Eastern Ontario Health Unit, said the province's approach allows for some flexibility for local health units.

"We're always going tore-evaluate and there's always going tobe the ability locally to modify, to add restrictions, depending on local situations," he said.

Since children under the age of 12 are still ineligible for a shot, he said it's especially important to ensure everyone around them is vaccinated to provide an "extra ring of protection."

"It's quite important to say that, you know, kids need this face-to-face [time] at school."

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Despite what she sees as flaws in the province's plan, Crowealso wantskids back in the classroom, as long as it's safe.

"I desperately want schools to be open for myself, my own family, my kids and every other parent and student in Ontario, but I do not want to see kids getting seriously ill."