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Back to school is right around the corner, but with COVID still looming overhead, what will the return to the classroom look like this September?
Ontario’s Ministry of Education has handed down its health and safety guidelines for the 2022-2023 school year, and they’re much more lax than in the past.
The province says all schools will provide optional three-ply cloth masks for students as well as non-fit tested N95 masks for staff, including those at the Simcoe County District School Board and Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board.
Students and staff will be urged to follow appropriate hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, such as washing hands or coughing into one’s sleeve. It is expected there will be scheduled breaks for students to take the time to wash their hands, while hand-sanitizer stations will be made available at key locations within each school.
Signage will be placed throughout schools, reinforcing self-screening for symptoms of illness. However, students, teachers, staff, and visitors should self-screen for any symptoms before going to school. In addition, the province continues to offer an online COVID-19 school and child care screening tool to help assess a child’s wellness.
According to the provincial mandate, schools will continue to have enhanced cleaning practices, including the disinfecting of high-touch surfaces in such locations as eating areas, washrooms, doorknobs and even desks. This will occur at least once a day.
School boards across the province, including in Simcoe County, will continue ventilation best practices, while improvements to ventilation in all classrooms remains ongoing.
Schools are expected to increase fresh air intake and run ventilation systems longer than in the past. High-grade filters will continue to be used and changed with increased frequency. Standalone high-efficiency air filter units will be found in every kindergarten class and all occupied learning spaces without mechanical ventilation.
While remote learning will remain an option for the families that desire it, it is expected the majority of students will be in the brick-and-mortar classroom this fall.
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