ETFO Asking for Remote Learning to be Extended

Wednesday, 6 January 2021 13:28

ETFO President Sam Hammond says they have issued a request to all of the Medical Officers of Health in the Province to extend remote learning at Elementary Schools.

ONTARIO - The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario is asking local public health units to keep Elementary schools closed next week.

ETFO President Sam Hammond says they have issued a request to all of the Medical Officers of Health in the Province to do what they have been entrusted to do, to prioritize community health and safety over politics.

"Educators know that in-person learning provides the most effective and equitable learning environment, but unfortunately we are at the height of this pandemic. It makes no sense for the government to send students, teachers and education workers back to school while the province is locked for another two to three weeks. Despite repeated calls for adequate safety measures, the government has refused to implement them in a misguided effort to save money, jeopardizing the health and safety of students, educators and their families."

Hammond says we must do what we can to protect those who are most vulnerable.

"The provincial government’s failure to listen to the advice of medical professionals has resulted in the current crisis we are facing. So now, we are asking Public Health Units to use their authority to reconsider the decision to resume in-person learning for all elementary students on January 11, particularly in communities where the rate of community transmission is high, and to implement asymptomatic surveillance testing in schools to ensure that we can better understand the role that schools are playing in the spread of the virus and base future decisions on sound data."

The ETFO is calling for the at home learning to continue unless urgent and immediate actions are taken to implement a safety plan. They want that plan to include smaller class sizes, improved ventilation and asymptomatic testing when in-person attendance resumes.