More lies and doublespeak from the Ford government on education

The announcement by the Ford government about Ontario schools is incredibly frustrating and aggravating for educators, parents and students. Online learning will continue until the end of June and this is not what any of us want. We want to be back in the classroom but to be safe for our students, our community and ourselves. It is apparent that asking for smaller class sizes, proper ventilation and rapid COVID19 testing is too much of an ask for the Ford government. But by now, this last minute decision whether to open schools or not is too little too late considering there are only 18 days left of the school year.

 

The lies and double-speak that the Ford government has spun about education is why we are in this situation. Over the past year, Ford, Lecce and Dr. Williams refused to listen to the advice and recommendations given to them from various health and education experts. Calls for a safe return to school began as early as June 2020. Over the summer, the Ontario Government promised to have a plan in early August. As educators waited with baited breath, the lacklustre plan was delivered only days before re-opening, with none of the key recommendations considered.

 

Individual school boards and health units were left scrambling to come up with plans to reduce the spread and what to do if there was an outbreak. With no leadership, the education sector in Ontario was left to fend for itself.

 

As cases rose in October, Lecce assured the public that schools were not a source of spread and surely students were getting sick from the community. As we know now, this was a lie and there was no conclusive data to back-up Lecce’s claim. The asymptomatic testing that occurred was only for a small group of students and staff, was completely voluntary and gave an incomplete picture of COVID19 in schools. Over the past 10 months, educators and students dealt with constant yo-yo-ing of class and school closures. None of this was suitable for the mental health of students and staff. All of this spin doctoring was to save a buck and gut the education system by $1 Billion. And here we are today.

 

To take anything from this experience, online learning doesn’t work for the vast majority of students. We need a well funded learning environment that caters to the needs of the children. That also includes proper funding for children’s mental health regardless of a pandemic. If you’re angry, don’t direct it at educators. We’ve lost so much and we’re angry too. Advocate for a safe September and this time we will make our voices heard.

 

Paula Greenberg is an Educational Assistant in Hamilton, Ontario