GuelphToday received the following Letter to the Editor from Upper Grand ETFO President Gundi Barbour, who expresses her concerns with in-school instruction:
This week students in Upper Grand will all be receiving instruction remotely. Teachers will tell you that in person instruction is optimal, however, with the current rate of infection and the recently issued stay at home orders, remote education is the only safe option for students, staff and families.
Under these conditions, our most vulnerable, frequently medically-fragile students are being sent to school for in-person learning. This decision will place the students, their families and school board staff at greater risk to catch COVID 19. This decision will perpetuate the spread of the virus and the more dangerous variants, to the community. This will increase suffering for so many.
Despite the assurances of our Premier and the Minister of Education, there have been no enhancements to control virus transmission in these, or any other, classrooms. Students are not distanced, air quality has not been improved and there are no measures to further protect the students or staff.
I am terrified at the prospect of those students and teachers returning to in-person learning in the face of a dramatic rise in deadly COVID-19 variant cases that are airborne and rampant, and when all of the necessary health and safety measures, including all staff having access to vaccines, are not yet in place.
I am urging the Premier to reverse this decision and for Dr. Mercer to implement at Section 22 order to close schools completely to all in-person instructions, as was done previously. Special Education staff are being prioritized for vaccinations in Upper Grand. These vaccines will be administered in the coming weeks. Before staff return to school, all should be vaccinated. Students cannot receive the vaccine at this time, so the only way to protect them is to ensure vaccination for the school staff that they have direct contact with daily.
In addition, we need paid sick days for all vulnerable workers and a vaccination plan that ensures that front line workers are vaccinated – all front line workers!
Right now, let’s keep all students safe thereby protecting families and the community. Our children are our most precious resource, let’s treat them that way!
Gundi Barbour,
President,
Upper Grand ETFO
