Ontario masks in schools: Lecce ‘respects’ parent’s choice

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce said he “respects parents’ choices” when it comes to masking in schools, even though some boards have voted in favor of making it mandatory on their own.

“We respect the choice of parents. I think it’s really important,” Lecce said Thursday morning when asked by reporters.

“We are following Dr. Moore’s advice, he has articulated strong recommendations to encourage masks, and the government is committed to keeping children in school,” Lecce said. said after announcing the expansion of the state’s dual credit flow. More than 2,000 students earn college credit while in high school.

Instead of a statewide mask recommendation, Lecce said public health departments have the power to implement additional measures on their own if needed.

“As we deal with the triple threat of respiratory syncytial virus, flu and COVID, we will always leave family safety decisions to doctors, not politicians.”

The debate over masking has grown in recent weeks as this triple threat overwhelms children’s hospitals statewide.

In response, Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer for Health, last week “strongly” recommended mask use in Ontario. He extended the recommendation to schools, but did not make it mandatory.

Since then, several Ontario agencies have taken matters into their own hands.

The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) passed a motion on Wednesday requiring students and staff to wear masks in all public school board buildings.

“The flu season began earlier this year with a combination of concerns about influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). We are providing guidance to help you protect yourself and your students,” HWDSB Education Director Cheryl Robinson Petrazzini wrote in a message to families on Wednesday.

In Burlington, city employees will be required to wear masks for the next six weeks as the city faces a “perfect storm” of illness among the community and employees.

A day earlier, the Durham District School Board voted against a directive calling on the local health department to require masking in schools.

At Ottawa’s largest school board, a mandatory mask vote is still pending after Tuesday night’s meeting was interrupted by cheers and shouts and some of the audience escorted by police.