COVID-19 Virus Updates

January 21, 2021

Ministry of Education Updates

Good Evening,

Please see below the information that was just received. Please note
that where a board overlaps two or more Public Health Units, Public
Health will direct in regards to opening.

We would also like to note that masking is now mandatory in grades 1 to
12. There is also an indication of enhanced screening protocols. At
this time we are unaware of what these are and will be reaching out to
the Ministry for clarity. Once this is received, we will pass it on.

Take care,
Laura
OSBCU

Memorandum to:

Chairs of District School Boards

Directors of Education

School Authorities

From:

Stephen Lecce

Minister of Education

Nancy Naylor

Deputy Minister of Education

Subject:

Ministry of Education Updates

————————-

Thank you for your continued support for students, families and staff.

Based on the most recent data and advice from the Chief Medical Officer
of Health, elementary and secondary schools in the following Public
Health Units will be permitted to resume in-person instruction on
January 25, 2021:

* Grey Bruce Health Unit
* Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
* Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Health Unit
* Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Health Unit
* Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit
* Peterborough Public Health
* Renfrew County and District Health Unit

Northern PHUs that were permitted to open on January 11, 2021 will
continue in-person learning unless otherwise directed by local PHUs.

Schools located in all other PHUs will continue to learn remotely at
this time. The Ministry of Education will continue to seek advice from
the Chief Medical Officer of Health on which PHU regions may reopen
schools for in-person learning.

Boards are required to align with the direction provided for the PHU in
which their schools are located. School boards should continue to follow
direction provided by their local PHU.

In areas where in-person learning is not yet permitted, school board and
school-based staff who can work from home will continue to be asked to
do so. Schools will continue to be open so that in-person instruction of
students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated through
remote learning continues throughout this period and to support staff
who are unable to work from home.

Child Care

Child care centres and home-based licensed and unlicensed child care for
non-school aged children remain open during this time. In areas where
in-person instruction for elementary students is suspended by the
Province, emergency child care will continue for school-aged children.

Before and after school programs will reopen in alignment with the
return to in-person learning in their PHUs.

We continue to ask school boards to make their school facilities
available for the continuous delivery of child care, including emergency
child care.

Child care centres and home-based licensed and unlicensed child care are
required to align with the direction provided for the PHU in which they
are located and enhanced health and safety guidelines.

Additional Health and Safety Measures

On January 12, 2021, we announced the provision of additional health and
safety measures to support the return to in-person learning, including:

· Mandatory masking for students in Grades 1-3 and outdoors
where physical distancing cannot be maintained

· Enhanced screening protocols

· Discouraging students from congregating before and after
school

Boards are encouraged to communicate to parents and guardians that new
masking requirements for students in Grades 1-3 and for specified
outdoor activities will take effect on January 25th, 2021.

Effective January 25th for all elementary and secondary staff, and
effective February 10th for all secondary students, all school boards
are responsible for implementing confirmation of self-screening for
staff and secondary students prior to or upon arrival to school.

Revised guidance is summarized in the attached document. An updated
Guide to Reopening Ontario’s Schools [1] and Operational Guidance:
COVID-19 Management in Schools [2] reflecting these additional health
and safety measures will be available soon for use.

We also announced the expansion of targeted testing for students and
staff. Testing will be voluntary and will include child care settings.
We will work with school boards and local PHUs to identify schools and
child care settings.

Thank you for the ongoing partnership as we have worked to keep schools
safe and contributed to stopping the provincewide spread of COVID-19
during this time.

Sincerely,

Stephen Lecce

Nancy Naylor

Minister

Deputy Minister

President, Association des conseils scolaires des écoles publiques de
l’ontario (ACÉPO)

Executive Director, Association des conseils scolaires des écoles
publiques de l’ontario (ACÉPO)

President, Association franco-ontarienne des conseils scolaires
catholiques (AFOCSC)

Executive Director, Association franco-ontarienne des conseils scolaires
catholiques (AFOCSC)

President, Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA)

Executive Director, Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association
(OCSTA)

President, Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA)

Executive Director, Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA)

Executive Director, Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE)

President, Association des enseignantes et des enseignants
franco-ontariens (AEFO)

Executive Director and Secretary-Treasurer, Association des enseignantes
et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO)

President, Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA)

General Secretary, Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association
(OECTA)

President, Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO)

General Secretary, Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO)

President, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF)

General Secretary, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation
(OSSTF)

Chair, Ontario Council of Educational Workers (OCEW)

Chair, Education Workers’ Alliance of Ontario (EWAO)

President of OSBCU, Canadian Union of Public Employees – Ontario
(CUPE-ON)

Co-ordinator, Canadian Union of Public Employees – Ontario (CUPE-ON)

Executive Director, Association des directions et directions adjointes
des écoles franco-ontariennes (ADFO)

Executive Director, Catholic Principals’ Council of Ontario (CPCO)

Executive Director, Ontario Principals’ Council (OPC)

Addendum to Reopening Guidance

The following enhanced health and safety measures are being added to the
_Guide to reopening Ontario’s schools_ following direction provided in
the January 12, 2021 memo.

The _Guide to reopening Ontario’s schools _constitutes a return to
school direction issued by the Ministry of Education for the purposes of
regulations originally made under the _Emergency Management and Civil
Protection Act_ [3] and continued under the _Reopening Ontario (A
Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020_ [4]. The return to school
direction and this Addendum have been approved by the Office of the
Chief Medical Officer of Health.

The following enhanced measures are province-wide requirements that all
school boards must implement effective immediately:

1. Mandatory masking for students in Grades 1-3. This also applies
to before- and after-school programs, as well as on school vehicles.
Students in Kindergarten are to be encouraged to wear masks.

2. Mandatory masking outdoors where physical distancing cannot be
maintained.

At the advice of the local public health unit, schools and school boards
may choose to implement additional masking measures based on local
circumstances.

Effective January 25th for all elementary and secondary staff, and
effective February 10th for all secondary students:

* Conduct on-site confirmation of self-screening prior to or upon
arrival to school.

The following sections from the _Guide to reopening Ontario’s schools
_have been revised as outlined below:

On-Site Screening

Schools/school boards are required to validate daily self-screening for
students, staff and visitors prior to or upon their arrival as outlined
below.

Secondary Students

In addition to the requirement for students to perform daily
self-screening, secondary schools are expected to have a process in
place to validate the daily self-screening of students prior to or upon
their arrival at school.

* Schools are to confirm that secondary students have completed and
passed their daily COVID-19 self-screen.
* The principal and those designated within the school will be
responsible for ensuring all secondary students have completed and
passed their daily COVID-19 self-screen.
* At a minimum, secondary students are to provide daily
confirmation/proof of having self-screened, in a format deemed
appropriate and accessible to all students by the local school/school
board (e.g., proof of completed paper copy of screener, mobile
application indicating a “pass”) prior to/upon entry to school or
homeroom.
* Any student that has not completed the self-screen will be required
to complete self-screening prior to entry or joining their class.
* Any student that does not pass the on-site screening procedures will
be asked to return home and self-isolate until they meet the criteria
for return.
* At the advice of the local public health unit, schools and school
boards may choose to implement additional on-site screening measures
based on local circumstances.

School Staff

* In addition to the requirement for school staff to perform daily
self-screening, school boards are expected to have a process in place to
validate the daily self-screening of staff prior to or upon their
arrival at the school.
* The principal or their designate are responsible for ensuring all
staff have completed and passed their daily COVID-19 self-screen.
* At a minimum, staff are to complete and provide daily
confirmation/proof of having self- screened, in a format deemed
appropriate and accessible by the local school/school board (e.g. proof
of completed paper copy of screener, mobile application indicating a
“pass”), prior to/upon entry to school.
* Any staff that does not pass the on-site screening procedures will be
asked to return home and self-isolate until they meet the criteria for
return.
* At the advice of the local public health unit, schools and school
boards may choose to implement additional on-site screening measures
based on local circumstances.

It is the responsibility of the school board and principals to ensure
that on-site screening procedures are completed.

Visitors

Any visitors to a school are required to self-screen and to wear a
medical mask while on school premises.

In addition to the requirement for visitors to perform daily
self-screening, school boards are expected to have a process in place to
validate the daily self-screening of all visitors prior to or upon their
arrival at school.

* The principal or their designate are responsible for ensuring all
essential visitors have completed and passed their daily COVID
self-screen.
* At a minimum, visitors are to complete and provide daily
confirmation/proof that they have self-screened, in a form deemed
appropriate and accessible by the local school/school board (e.g. proof
of completed paper copy of screener, mobile application indicating a
“pass”), prior to/upon entry to school. Any visitor that does not
pass the on-site screening procedures will be asked to return home and
self-isolate until they meet the criteria for return.
* At the advice of the local public health unit, schools and school
boards may choose to implement additional on-site screening measures
based on local circumstances.

Masks

Students

Students in Grades 1 to 12 are required to wear non-medical or cloth
masks indoors in school, including in hallways and during classes, as
well as on school vehicles. Where physical distancing cannot be
maintained, students are required to wear masks outdoors.

Students in Kindergarten are to be encouraged but not required to wear
masks.

Students may wear their own non-medical masks, and non-medical masks are
to be made available for students. Reasonable exceptions on the
requirement to wear masks will apply.

At the advice of the local public health unit, schools and school boards
may choose to implement additional masking measures based on local
circumstances.

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