Ottawa’s largest school board votes in favour of bringing back mask mandates

Eight trustees voted in favour, three abstained and one voted against the decision to reintroduce a mask mandate in the classroom.

During the meeting on Tuesday, April 12, trustees on the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) who voted in favour of the motion, say the rise of COVID-19 in the city's wastewater levels are concerning and those numbers, they say, could only go up when families and kids return from Easter break. 

Cases and hospitalizations are on the rise. On Monday, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) reported 16 people were in hospital with the virus while the number of people hospitalized throughout the province was 1,366. 

This vote from the OCDSB comes nearly three weeks after the provincial government lifted most of the health mandates, and said it was optional for students to wear a mask in the classroom. 

Jennifer Jennekens, the trustee for Zone 7, says COVID-19 has impacted not just students but also teachers. 

“A number of students in my zone have really suffered with the classroom closures and certainly principals have been put in a tough position where they've had to pick and choose, you know, from all angles, who to cover for the classes.” Another trustee, Mark Fisher, who has been vocal on social media about mask mandates, also noted similar concerns at the meeting, saying his child's school had to be closed twice in one week, which he says as a parent and trustee is concerning.

Donna Blackburn was the lone trustee who opposed the vote, explained her reasoning for voting against the motion. 

“I refuse to give people a false sense of security,” said Blackburn, adding people could show up to schools unmasked, as they have done when restrictions were lifted. “I know people are concerned about absences, there's no indication that it's all COVID-related, we don't know for sure.” 

In terms of in-person attendance, the board's associate director of education, Brett Reynolds says that has remained consistent even before March break. He also pointed out that there is a small percentage of parents who have opted for remote learning options for their kids, and concerns remain from some parents about the uncertainty of the virus. 

“I think that kind of inability to have any sense of prediction of what's going to happen (even the rest of the school year) has caused a bit of distress for students and staff,” he said, adding that he's heard concerns when masks were not required. 

The OSCDB posted on Twitter that staff is working on an implementation plan and a timeline, and they will provide additional clarification on the mask mandate.