OCDSB will not keep mask mandate when students return after March Break

Ottawa's largest school board has decided it won't create its own mask mandate once the province of Ontario drops the measure after March Break.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) met on Monday, March 14 to discuss the future of masking in classrooms, as the province-wide mandate lifts on March 21.

At the meeting, the board voted on creating its own mask mandate to replace the province's measures. However, that vote tied at 6-6, meaning it failed.

“I think that mirrors the division that we hear in the community, generally,” Lynn Scott, chair of the OCDSB, said. “Perhaps even more broadly across the country.”

While some might be concerned about returning to a safe, post-COVID normal once March Break ends, Scott told The Rob Snow Show that some families have other pressing concerns.

“Let's face it, many families are still very, very scared,” Scott said. “They may have families who are immunocompromised or, otherwise, at higher risk if they get COVID. They are really worried that this could lead to more exposure for people who are at risk of severe disease.”

Even though the vote failed at Monday night's meeting, Scott said the next step is to write a letter to Ontario chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore, asking for more time or flexibility.

In the letter, Scott said it would be beneficial to have a two-to-four-week period as schools implement the changes that come with dropping COVID-19 mandates. Those benefits include improved monitoring, retraining needs and improved communications with families.

One Ontario doctor has already created an open letter calling on the province to keep the masking requirement in schools after the mandate expires. Dr. Andrea Chittle said she was surprised how quickly the letter reached 10,000 signatures (it has reached nearly 12,000 as of 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 15).

“Really, they are taking away three of the existing risk mitigations: cohorting and masks and the physical distancing, at the same time,” Scott said. “That's a pretty big jump from our point of view because those measures have been quite effective in keeping transmissions in schools to a minimum.”

She said the OCDSB is asking for an answer from the province by Thursday, March 17.

Even though most COVID-19 mandates end in less than a week, Scott said there have been a number of good measures from the government throughout the pandemic.

“We can always criticize and say, 'Too little too late,' or we can say, 'Too much too soon,'” she said. “Opinions are very much divided. But the bottom line is that so far as schools are concerned, the measures that have been in place actually have been quite effective.”

However, she said mask mandates created by businesses and institutions would be difficult to enforce once Ontario ends the province-wide mandate. If the OCDSB created its own mask mandate, it would be a complex rule to uphold on students who choose not to wear masks.

“The important thing is, this [virus] is something that's going to be around with us for quite some time,” Scott said. “We need to be cautious in how we move forward.

“The whole issue is fraught with problems around how to make sure that all of our kids are getting the education they need and the support they need and having the learning opportunities that they need.”