March break is being postponed, and it’s not just the kids who are unhappy about it.
On Feb. 11, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce announced the province would be postponing March Break until April 12-16 based on advice from Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health and public health officials. According to a release from the province, they also consulted with trustees' associations, teacher federations, education worker unions, and principal and vice-principal associations.
However, in a release sent out shortly after the announcement, teacher’s unions L'Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO), the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA), and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) are all calling on the province to reverse their decision, as they say they unanimously oppose the move.
“It’s more than extreme disappointment. It is absolutely, just heartbreaking for our members and our students right now,” said Jen Hare, OSSTF bargaining unit president for Simcoe County after the news broke. “This isn’t good for kids. They need some normalcy, and some consistency.”
Lecce provided reasoning for the decision during Thursday’s press briefing.
“It is critical we follow public health advice to protect schools and avoid a repeat of the concerning spike in youth-related cases over the winter break, when students and staff were out of schools for a prolonged period of time,” said Lecce. “The actions announced today serve to limit opportunities for congregation – while reaffirming the evidence that schools are safe for students.”
As part of the teacher union’s response to the announcement, the unions were critical of Premier Doug Ford’s handling of the pandemic as a whole.
“The postponement of March break shows, yet again, the inadequacies of the Progressive Conservative government’s planning. If there are concerns related to travel and gatherings during March break, these should be addressed by the government through other means,” reads the release. “Why did Premier Doug Ford reopen the economy when it is clear risks remain? Is he concerned that his stay-at-home orders are ineffective? If so, he should address the real issue: this government’s ongoing failure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
“(This) is another example of this government ignoring experts and making decisions that are reckless and baseless,” they said.
Hare references the move students across the province made to remote learning at the beginning of January, and the move to the hybrid model that started on Tuesday at public secondary schools across Simcoe County.
“It was a drastic learning curve to facilitate education in that way, but we did, and the kids did. We made it work. With the switch to hybrid learning... we’re really struggling right now,” she said.
When it comes to whether the OSSTF was consulted on the decision, Hare says it comes down to language.
“We have a very different definition of the word ‘consulted’ than the ministry of education,” she said. “We believe that consultation is a conversation. It is about an exchange of ideas, meeting and collaboration. Give and take that comes to a resolution that is amicable on both sides. What the ministry considers ‘consultation’ is, we’re going to tell you the announcement and you’re going to have to deal with it.”
“The minister has not ever entered into true consultation with education unions of any kind,” she said.
Hare believes the school system is being used as an excuse to help the greater good. She points out that safety supports such as asymptomatic rapid testing in schools, double masking and lowering class sizes have not been implemented in Simcoe County, which would help curb the spread in schools.
“Now, we can’t trust people to not travel, so they’re keeping the schools open. Why don’t they just create stricter regulations around travel in Ontario?” said Hare. “We really need a moment to catch our breath. This sort of antagonistic relationship with the ministry of education causes so much stress in education workers.”
Kent MacDonald is president of Simcoe Muskoka OECTA, which represents elementary Catholic teachers.
“Today’s announcement was done without any consideration for students and educators for the efforts during a very trying year filled with many changes and challenges,” said MacDonald. “March Break is a time for students to receive a break to rest and recharge. Pushing forward, there is a likelihood of diminishing returns from students as they deal with not just school work, but social challenges.”
“The government has continued to state they have a plan, but it is clear it is written on a napkin, without any true consideration for those in schools,” he said.
Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board chair and trustee Joe Zerdin told BarrieToday.com he’s in support of the province’s decision.
“I can’t dispute medical evidence to limit exposure across the province by restricting travel through having the kids in school,” said Zerdin. “(March break) is not cancelled, it’s just being delayed.”
“It was a decision that had to be made, and a lot of people won’t agree with it, but a lot of people disagree with a lot of decisions these days,” he said.
While the release from the province says they consulted with trustee associations, Zerdin says he doesn’t have direct knowledge of consultation with the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association, of which local Catholic board trustees are members.
“They’ve been consulted throughout the pandemic on various issues, so I would assume based on everything... they were consulted,” he said.
Jodi Lloyd, chair and trustee with the Simcoe County District School Board, wasn't surprised by Thursday's announcement.
"I anticipated something was going to happen, so I'm not shocked that it's been changed," she said of the postponed March break.
"I know everybody's looking forward to a break," she added, "but they're doing it based on the advice of public health and scientific data. The whole focus is to get schools open and keep them open until the end of June."
For that reason, and out of concern for the potential spread of coronavirus variants, she said postponing March break makes sense.
"2020 and 2021 are years of sacrifice and this is just another situation we have to adapt to to stay safe," she said.
Some parents have said they plan to give their kids a break anyway, but Lloyd is hoping they will hold off until April.
"We encourage people to keep their kids in school. There will be a break," she said. "The positivity rate is highest in youth right now. We've got to face these realities, as difficult as they may be."
When asked if the Ontario Public School Boards' Association had been consulted about the postponement, Lloyd said, "I do believe there were discussions."
- with files from Nathan Taylor
