A roadmap back to the classroom
In-person learning for children essential, science table report says
Saying in-person learning is crucial to the well-being of children and youth, Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table released a roadmap Monday for a safe return to the classroom in September.
“In-person learning is essential for the learning and overall well-being of children and youth. Therefore, barring catastrophic circumstances, schools should remain open for in-person learning,” says the document, which was co-authored by CHEO pediatric infectious disease physician Dr. Nisha Thampi.
If COVID -19 case counts remain low, that should look something like school did before the pandemic — with a return to regular, in-person schedules for most students with no mandatory masks or physical distancing unless cases begin to rise.
Among other things, the report recommends a return of music and intramural sports.
To make sure the return is safe, the science table recommends air quality improvement be a priority in schools, with extra attention to spaces, such as the gym and music rooms, where the potential for aerosol transmission is high. It also recommends public health measures such as frequent handwashing and staying home when sick are closely followed.
The authors say in-person learning is too important to be used as a pandemic control tool. Only in “catastrophic circumstances,” in which the health system is overwhelmed, should a transition to online learning be considered.
“It is essential, that moving forward, the educational, physical, and mental needs of students be highly prioritized and protected to ensure sustained in-person school attendance and in-person learning.”
The Ontario government has failed to do that, according to some critics. Ontario students have spent less time in the classroom during the pandemic than students from any other province.
There were widespread calls, from health and science officials and others, for the province to reopen schools for in-person learning in June. Although patios in Ontario were reopened as the third wave ended, schools were not. Many parents and education and health officials believe that would have made the return to full-time school in September easier.
Thampi said she was disappointed children and youth did not return to school in June. She said she hopes the document released Monday, written after consultation with parents, education and health officials and others, will serve as a “launch pad” for a safe return to school in September and will help ensure school is seen as essential and kept open if at all possible.
There is growing evidence that school closures and the elimination of extracurricular activities during the pandemic harmed the mental and physical health of children and youth. Pediatric health officials have raised alarms in recent months about high rates of anxiety and eating disorders they are seeing in children and youth, among other issues.
Children with special needs, who lost access to school-based health care services, have been profoundly affected, according to the document. As a result, some of the most vulnerable children have missed developmental milestones and opportunities for skill development. A return of those services is one of the report's recommendations.
The report comes as cases have dropped dramatically in Ontario and across Canada and as vaccination rates are among the world's highest. Sixty-four per cent of Ottawa residents 12 and over are fully vaccinated against COVID -19. Ontario-wide, 63 per cent of people 18 and over are fully vaccinated. Children under 12 are not yet eligible to be vaccinated and are unlikely to be until at least late fall.
The report recommends that vaccination be strongly encouraged for everyone who is eligible and vaccination rates in schools be tracked. It also recommends that students and staff stay home when they have any symptoms, that indoor air quality is improved through upgrading school systems and that outdoors be used when possible. It also recommends a strong focus on hand hygiene and environmental cleaning.
If cases begin to rise in the community, it recommends that schools introduce temporary measures, including masks, physical distancing and that tracing and testing be used. Younger students may have to be cohorted, or kept together with, their own classrooms, especially at the beginning of the school year. But cohorting is not recommended for middle or high school students as long as community transmission is low.
Local public health officials will have input into the recommendations for schools and could adjust them, depending on local circumstances.
The report notes that remote and Indigenous students face additional challenges, including crowded classrooms with poor ventilation infrastructure and the need to travel for school.
Ontario schools have spent more than $600 million upgrading school ventilation systems in recent months.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board says it has received more than $22 million since last August in provincial and federal funding to improve air quality in schools.