Ontario Could Reopen High Schools Before Elementary Schools, Sources Say

As the Ontario government determines how to get students back to classrooms safely, high school students could return earlier than children in elementary school due to their higher levels of vaccination, sources told Star.

Insiders, speaking confidentially to discuss internal deliberations, say Queen’s Parks wants as many of the province’s two million students as possible to return to face-to-face classes by Jan.17.

While more than 90 percent of teens are vaccinated, less than half of children ages five to 12, who only became eligible on November 23, have received their vaccinations.

As frustrations for parents and students mount with the time they spend learning online, a government source said, “We know vaccines work, so we could see high schools reopening for fully vaccinated students on January 17″.

However, added the source, “with elementary schools, it could be a bit longer. Parents won’t be happy, but again, we have to be sure ”because more eligible children between the ages of five and 12 still need their shots, while teens have been able to get their shots since the end of May.

Ontario students have spent more time learning online during the pandemic (26 weeks and counting) than anywhere else in North America.

School resumed after the break last Monday for most students, but was initially delayed two days after Medical Director of Health Dr. Kieran Moore announced that N95 masks would be distributed to all staff and that the amount of HEPA filter units used to improve ventilation in classrooms would be increased to 73,000 across the province.

But four days later, Prime Minister Doug Ford said that with a “tsunami” of COVID-19 cases resulting from the highly communicable Omicron variant, students would not return to classrooms until January 17 at the earliest.

“We all understand that there are positives and negatives in keeping our schools closed. I, like all my colleagues in public health, hope that we can get our children back for in-person learning as soon as possible, ”Moore said.

“It is certainly our hope that we can adhere to 17.”

Across Canada, most provinces have delayed back to school until next Monday.

Quebec, however, has scheduled in-person learning to begin on January 17.

On Thursday, health units in the greater Toronto area began providing priority vaccination clinics for education staff, a strategy that unions and school boards had repeatedly called for.

Before the holidays, about 22.65 percent of schools reported COVID-19 cases, and 24 of 4,800 schools closed because of it.

Of 48 school outbreaks, 40 were in primary schools and eight in secondary schools. (There are four times more elementary schools than high schools in Ontario.)

The president of the Ontario Public School Boards Association said she hasn’t heard of high schools being able to reopen first, “but we all know it’s safe to get vaccinated.”

Cathy Abraham said the boards “would look forward to having discussions about that before it happens.”

However, he added, “if that is what medical professionals say works, then we will work with that. We have always said that it is a priority for us that the children are physically in school ”.

Patrick Daly, director of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association, is hopeful the schools can reopen in two weeks.

He and Abraham said that improved masks and HEPA filter units have already been delivered to some school boards.

“You have to weigh the long-term impact on children,” he said, referring to an extended period of online learning.

As for high school students returning to class first, Daly said he was not aware of such discussions, but “I would be concerned if young children are out of school for longer. That would worry me, and I think there would have to be a very good reason to proceed that way. “

University of Toronto pediatrician and professor Dr. Anna Banerji said the province should consider mandatory vaccinations for students.

“We need the children to be vaccinated and safe so they can come back,” Banerji said. “If parents decide not to vaccinate their children in the middle of this wave, then it is safer for that child to learn online.”

Robert Benzie is the bureau chief for Star’s Queen’s Park and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie