Back in the final days of August, teachers and students alike were questioning the plan put through by the Ministry of Education and were wondering: Will the reopening of schools be a safe one?
Numerous Ontario teachers resorted to social media to show how the plans that the government had put in had fallen short through the hashtag “UnsafeSeptemberON”. Many teachers shared pictures of overcrowded classrooms where 2m distancing would be almost impossible. This not only poses a threat to students, but to teachers, and communities as a whole. It would require great human, physical, and financial resources to ensure that all the health guidelines are respected. It is evident that the time for planning a safe and effective return to schools ran out months before schools opened. An early study conducted by Sick Kids showed that Ontario’s plan for resuming classes amid the pandemic while remaining safe was unrealistic. Its preliminary observations showed that it simply was not possible.
To maintain a two-meter distance between students and accommodate more than 12-15 students in the class even with the desks against all four walls would put everyone in the class at a significant risk. This early study was a warning that with average class sizes of 25+ students, drastic measures should have been taken to ensure student safety. Yet, teachers and students found themselves returning after 6 months to classrooms that were no different and thus posed a risk to their well being.
In a rushed effort to return to some sense of economic and social normalcy, the ministry has weighed the possibilities of increased cases of Covid-19 in our communities to be less important and in doing so, risked the possibility of cases rising so high that we are inevitably forced to close schools completely once more.
Comments