Parents that Humber News spoke with on Monday agreed their children need social interaction to grow but are split on when it’s best for their kids to return to the classroom.
Before Monday’s blizzard delayed things a bit longer, the Ford government announced that in-person learning would resume as of Jan. 17. That gave parents and schools minimal time to adjust to the new Omicron variant.
For Natercia Hutfloetz, a Brampton mother of three, it wasn’t enough.
“I think it’s maybe a bit too soon, I think another week wouldn’t have hurt,” Hutfloetz told Humber News.
“When you’re eating, you’ve got your mask off. I think having the extra measures, like HEPA filters or N95 masks for the students, would provide more peace of mind,” she said.
The decision to return to schools was made official by Education Minister Stephen Lecce last week.
“I cannot imagine the difficulty families are facing as this pandemic continues. We believe so strongly that children need to be in school. That they are essential to the mental and physical health of a child and to their academic success,” Lecce said on Jan. 12.
It’s a sentiment that Hutfloetz agrees with. “I think kids should be in school for their mental health.”
Ghislain Bousader, another Brampton mother of three, also agrees on the mental health aspect, but thinks children should have been back in school far sooner.
“I think kids should have been back day one,” Brampton mother of three Ghislaine Bousader said.
“My little one has a short attention span. Within 30 to 40 minutes she’s under the table, cutting up paper. The older ones, honesty and integrity is a big problem. You can turn off your camera and look up answers. Children aren’t learning, they’re cheating their way through it,” she said.
“The same way people can go back to work, children should be able to go back to school. It’s important for growth. I’m not anti-vaxx, all of my children and myself are vaccinated, but social interaction is important,” Bousader said.
Ontario moved to an entirely virtual learning environment for the 2020-2021 academic year which provided a number of strains mentally and emotionally to students of all ages.
Students suffered from social isolation as they navigated their academic work and lacked the ability to interact with one another outside of class time which resulted in burnout.
Lecce assured parents that the schools would be able to reopen and operate safely, but testing and reporting of positive COVID-19 cases has been halted within the school system but that additional measures will be taken to protect staff and students.
For Vince Riccio, a former teacher and parent in Thunder Bay, the timing for a return is nowhere close.
“It’s absolutely the wrong time, considering the numbers. It’s ill-advised on the part of the government,” Riccio said.
“There doesn’t seem to be clarity around what the real plan is, it sounds like it’s piecemeal. Communication is priority, and having a communicated plan to put teachers and parents at ease, but I understand parents are put in a predicament when their kids are at home. It’s a catch-22,” he said.
Students are currently expected to return to classrooms on Jan. 18 since a snow storm has caused delays to Monday’s planned return.