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Chandra Pasma NDP education critic - Dec 2023

NDP proposal to keep the summer heat down in schools/school buses

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MPPs are being asked to establish maximum temperature levels in Ontario schools.

The NDP’s Chandra Pasma is putting forward a Private Member’s Bill that sets the maximum temperature of schools and school buses at 26 Celcuis before declaring them unsafe.

The party’s Education Critic says hot schools do not make for safe working environments for adults or children.

“A growing body of evidence demonstrates that temperatures above 26 degrees Celsius negatively impact health and increase the risk of illness and death due to heat exposure,” says Pasma.

“Children are particularly vulnerable to high temperatures because they don’t regulate body temperature the same way as adults, and they may not recognize or be able to express the signs of heat stress in their own bodies.”

She adds prolonged exposure to heat can lead to other serious health issues and exacerbate existing conditions such as asthma, heart conditions and kidney problems.

She notes that while Ontario has guidelines for cold weather and a minimum temperature before schools are declared unsafe, there are no similar measures to address extreme temperatures.

“There is no requirement at all to take any measures even when schools exceed temperatures that experts say are unsafe,” says Pasma.

“As the number of hot days and the temperature of those hot days increase, we urgently need to act to protect our kids and the workers who support them every single day.”

Along with setting a maximum temperature, Pasma’s proposal also includes a requirement for school boards to develop strategies that allow for the use of heat pumps and air conditioning, and adapt schools and playgrounds to minimize heat through measures such as green roofs, energy-efficient windows, installing misting stations and shade structures and planting trees.

If passed, school boards would also be required to establish emergency plans for days when a school exceeds the maximum or minimum temperature.

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Province to fund 79 school renewal projects across Ontario

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The provincial government is revealing details of this year’s capital commitment to school boards.

More than $1.6 billion will be provided to build new schools or renovate existing ones.

Education Minister Paul Calandra says they are making a record investment this year.

“We are not only building classrooms, we are building childcare spaces in every corner of the province,” says Calandra.

“We are meeting demands in our high-growth areas. We are meeting demands in the north, south, east and west. Every part of this province where there is growth will see opportunities for new investments.”

The province is funding 79 separate projects, Calandra says, that will create over 29,000 new student spaces and over 1,900 licensed child care spaces.

Sixty-seven of the projects were previously approved in this budget cycle.

The other twelve have been approved for funding over the next year.

The Education Minister wants to see those projects move along faster than they have in the past.

Proposed legislation that intends to change the roles of trustees and replace Directors of Education with Chief Executive Officers, also gives the Minister the power to intervene in the planning process.

He says that ensures projects are completed on time and focused on students.

“We all know this when we see a child come into a brand new school, the excitement that they feel when they see that investment. But it is also about respecting those educators who need to be able to work in state-of-the-art facilities if they’re going to be doing their job.”

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Survey identifies priorities for Northwest Catholic District School Board

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Safe schools and improving student achievement rank high in a survey from the Northwest Catholic District School Board.

The board uses the findings in their budget planning process.

“It was very focused, and stakeholders pointed to a relatively narrow set of priorities that they want to see continued attention, stewardship and allocation of resources,” says Alex McAuley, Superintendent of Business.

The survey revealed that about 95% of respondents rated safe, clean, accessible and well-functioning learning spaces as being very or extremely important.

“Families clearly view school conditions as part of the student experience and as a visible expression of the board stewardship,” says McAuley.

“Most notably among the results for classroom and common area conditions, heating and ventilation, air quality and outdoor spaces.”

McAuley says the survey also reveals the school climate remains an important area of attention, with 69% having confidence in the board’s ability to respond to concerns.

Many respondents highlighted bullying and cyberbullying as areas requiring the greatest attention.

Mental health supports, harassment, exclusion, and violence were also cited.

About 75% of respondents identified student learning as a top priority, with strong emphasis on reading, writing and math.

“From a governance perspective, these support keeping learning improvement at the center of all resource discussions we may have for the budget process,” says McAuley.

The Board will present a budget for the next school year in June.

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More Testing Requirements For School Staff

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The province is making COVID-19 changes inside schools.

During an announcement in Toronto on Thursday, Education Minister Stephen Lecce confirmed that there will be more required of school staff who are unvaccinated.

“We’re mandating a stronger testing requirement on unvaccinated staff who will now be required to present three negative tests per week,” explains Lecce. “We strongly encourage those staff members to get vaccinated, but in the meantime we are elevating our vigilance and our expectations on them.”

It was also announced that it will be easier for students in Ontario to get tested for the virus.

“In this expanded program, students will be able to pick up a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) self-collection kit at school,” says Lecce. “They can complete it at home and provide the sample at convenient locations within their community. By enabling students to pick up a PCR self collection kit at school, the program will help address barriers for students who have challenges with quickly obtaining a test at a testing center, or they’re symptomatic, or they have been identified as a close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case. The take home approach will also provide convenience for parents and for families, and help to potentially identify more cases to keep these schools open and safe.”

The program will have a phased rollout beginning in mid-November.

Under Ontario’s reopening act, the province is eyeing an elimination of health measures including wearing masks by late March 2022.

Lecce did not confirm whether this would be the same in schools, and stressed this will depend entirely on COVID-19 trends.

As of October 28, more than 83 per cent of youth aged 12 to 17 have received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 77 per cent have received a second dose.

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Province Investing To Boost French Education

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The Ontario government is trying to put more French language teachers in classrooms.

Education Minister Stephen says a four-year, $12.5 million strategy will help recruit, train and retain teachers.

“This strategy will build awareness of teaching pathways, in order to recruit and retain qualified teachers from French-speaking countries, and to promote pathways to teacher training programs for high school students,” he explains.

The province says the number of certified French teachers has decreased by as much as 60 per cent in recent years, leaving a shortage for both French language and French Immersion programs.

Lecce says schools are currently short about 900 certificated teachers.

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Scientists Want Schools Open

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Science and health experts say it’s safe to open Ontario’s schools for the rest of the school year on a regional basis.

Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table is sending a letter to Premier Doug Ford, saying schools should be the last sector to close and the first to open.

Ford asked for advice on the matter on Thursday in a letter to health officials across the province.

The group of scientists and health officials says that even one month back in classrooms with be highly beneficial for students.

Its membership also recommends using the summer to make schools safer, like improving school ventilation units and vaccinating students.

The organization adds that alongside re-opening schools, the province needs to speed up vaccinations for the whole population to reduce the spread of the virus outside the classroom.

It says its modelling suggests in-person schooling would only cause a small increase in cases, adding most health units have said they could handle that increase.

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No Word On Schools Re-opening

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There’s no indication from the Premier when students can return to their classrooms.

They’ve been learning remotely since the lockdown went in place in early April.

Premier Doug Ford says there are a few different opinions when it comes to schools.

“Dr. Williams, who I always chat with, he’s in favour of opening the schools. We have a few doctors on the science table that aren’t in favour, then we have the teachers that want to put an injunction in if we move forward,” Ford claims.

Provincial health officials warned this week COVID-19 cases could increase by 11% if schools reopened now.

The province’s reopening strategy announced this week didn’t mention schools at all.

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Child Care Workers Not Vaccine Eligible

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It will be a few more months before local daycare staff and early childhood educators are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Doctor Kit Young Hoon is the Medical Officer of Health for the Northwestern Health Unit and says that while they are included in phase two of the provincial plan, they fall into the second of two groups.

“ECE’s, educaiton staff, child care staff fall into the second group,” says Young Hoon, “It’s estimated they’ll become eligible for vaccination in June.”

While schools are closed to in-person learning for the foreseeable future, child care centres remain open and are currently providing emergency care for other front-line workers.

The province says they expect to vaccinate around nine million people in phase two, with phase three (anyone 16+ who hasn’t gotten vaccinated and wants to) scheduled to start in July.

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Province Moving All Schools To Online Learning

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The Ford Government has announced that all schools will be moving to 100 per-cent virtual learning after the April break has finished.

The announcement was made Monday afternoon by Premier Doug Ford and follows the stay-at-home order announced on Thursday.

“The problem is not in our schools, it is in our community. Bringing our kids back to a congregate setting in school after a week off in the community is a risk that I won’t take,” said Ford, “We know that the more COVID spreads in the community, the more likely it is to get into the schools, which will create massive problems for all of us down the road.”

The province says the move has been made in response to the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in southern Ontario, the increasing risks posed to the public by COVID-19 variants, and the massive spike in hospital admissions.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce explains all childcare centres for non-school aged children will remain open while all before and after school programs will be closed.

As for school-aged children of health care and other front line workers, Lecce says there will be free emergency care.

School Boards will also be directed to provide continued in person support for students with special education needs, who can not learn remotely.

“This was not a decision we made lightly, as we know how critical schools are to Ontario students. Our priority has always been to keep schools open, however, sharply rising community transmission can put our schools and Ontario families at risk,” said Lecce. “While Ontario’s plan has kept schools safe, as confirmed by the Chief Medical Officer of Health, we are taking decisive and preventative action today to ensure students can safely return to learning in our schools.”

Lecce adds that they will make the move back to in-person learning as soon as it’s safe to do so.

(With Files from Sarah McCarthy/Dryden)

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Fort Frances To Have Online Learning For Two More Weeks

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Due to the increase in cases of COVID-19 in Fort Frances this weekend, and in collaboration with School Board partners, the Medical Officer of Health for the Northwestern Health Unit, Dr.Kit Young-Hoon, is recommending that Fort Frances schools delay in person learning for an additional two week period, January 11-15 and January 18-22..

• Delay the provision of in-person teaching or instructions to students who attend school in the municipality of Fort Frances until at least January 25, 2021
• Delay the provision of in-person teaching or instructions to students who attend schools where most of the staff are residents of Fort Frances, until at least January 25, 2021

The Health Unit Says in-person instruction to students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated through remote learning and who wish to attend in-person instruction may continue.

Health officials say the announcement will affect:

• St. Mary’s School
• Our Lady of the Way School – Stratton
• J.W. Walker Public School
• Robert Moore School
• Donald Young School
• Fort Frances Intermediate School and High School
• Crossroads Public School – Devlin
• Mine Centre Public School – Mine Centre
• Seven Generations Secondary School

These instructions do not apply to other schools that are not listed above or are not in the municipality of Fort Frances. These instructions also do not apply to day cares.

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