The province’s school reopening plan is basically just “an answer to just get the economy open, so that parents can get back to work,” said the president of the Rainbow teacher local of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario.
“It’s not in the interest of health and safety that this plan has been made,” said Liana Holm, who represents elementary teachers working for the Rainbow District School Board. “That’s now how it feels.”
The local union president made the remarks as four major teachers’ unions plan to file complaints with the Ontario Labour Relations Board, saying the province’s school reopening plan violates its own workplace safety laws.
The Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation all allege the school reopening plan does not take "every reasonable precaution" to protect workers from COVID-19.
The unions say the province must lower elementary class sizes and fund the reduction, instead of insisting boards dip into their own reserve funds to lease extra space or hire additional staff to promote physical distancing.
The Canadian Press reports that last week, the teachers' unions had asked the Ministry of Labour to issue a series of workplace orders to set safety standards in schools, setting a Friday deadline for the government.
The unions said the Labour Ministry — which oversees workplaces in the province — should order standards that mandate 15 to 20 students per class, to ensure a two-metre distance can be maintained between pupils.
They said an order establishing a maximum cohort of 50 students should be set, along with busing standards which take precautions against COVID-19.
Holm said her union is very concerned with the busing plan, which could see students from all four different local school boards potentially sharing one bus, exposing them to a much larger cohort than 50.
Sudbury Student Services Consortium executive director Renee Boucher told Sudbury.com there wouldn’t be enough buses to take measures such as keeping students from one school all on the same bus.
But Holm said there would be ways to accomplish this, such as having students attending school in person on alternating weeks, something that was on the table at one point.
In terms of class sizes, Holm said in some cases, teachers might have 30 kids in the classroom.
The union president said she wonders why that’s acceptable in a school, while the LCBO limits the number of customers to a much smaller number in a space larger than a classroom.
“Those two things, it just doesn’t go together,” she said.
Holm said the Rainbow board has done its best in coming up with a safety plan within the parameters set out by the Ministry of Education.
“I mean, they are definitely, definitely taking every precaution that they can in those constraints,” she said.
Another local teachers’ union president, Maurizio De Poli, said he realizes the Ontario Labour Relations Board process is typically a lengthy one.
“I really don’t know how the government will react to this,” said the president of the Sudbury secondary local of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association. “We’re hopeful that they will listen to our concerns and follow their legal obligations to ensure workplaces meet the health and safety requirements.
“I think we’re just looking for measures that are in line with those that have been put in place in other workplaces and other public spaces throughout the province.
“It’s not just the teacher’s unions that are concerned about this. We wouldn’t have as many students choosing to learn from home if they felt it was safe to be in the classroom as well.”
The dispute about school reopening protocols follows a school year of labour unrest by teachers that resulted in strikes before schools were closed in March due to COVID-19.
Ford has repeatedly criticized the unions in recent weeks, and on Monday he again appealed to them to work with the province on the return to school. But he also said that the teachers' unions have fought with every Ontario government since the 1990s.
"I think it's ideology, I really do," Ford said, quoted in a Canadian Press article. "No matter what we do, it's just not going to be good enough ... they just like to fight. What can I say?"
Labour Minister Monte McNaughton said he could not comment on the complaints, but the government inspectors have been in contact with school boards and staff on the restart.
"My role in this process is as a neutral overseer," he said. "I will not play politics with such an important issue."
With this as a backdrop, De Poli said his union is “incredibly disappointed with this government’s lack of leadership and resourcefulness in dealing with this extraordinary situation.
“The premier has constantly made inappropriate and baseless remarks against teachers and their representatives … The constant attack against the union is frustrating for sure.”
-With files from Canadian Press
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