Masks a must at city's Catholic schools this fall

All students attending Ottawa Catholic School Board institutions will have to wear masks in September.

The mask mandate will apply to kindergarten students for whom, previously, provincial guidelines had only recommended their use.

“A school-wide mask mandate will offer our school community an extra layer of protection against the Delta Variant,” reads an email sent to parents on Monday.

“Our goal is to ensure our learning and working environments are as safe as possible,

Masking will further enhance our safety protocols ...

and masking will further enhance our safety protocols.”

The masks will be mandatory at all times inside school buildings, the board said, but they can be removed to eat or drink. They must be worn during physical education classes and while singing in music classes indoors, but not outdoors provided there is room for physical distancing. Wind instruments will not be allowed.

“We understand that it may be difficult for some kindergarten students to wear a mask all day,” the board's message to parents said. “Kindergarten teams will be there to help.”

The board offered an Ottawa Public Health tip sheet to parents as a resource to help ease conversations with children about the importance of masks. The school board said the change was in accordance with Ottawa Public Health guidance.

Trustees at Ottawa's largest school board, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, are expected to vote Tuesday on whether to adopt a mandatory-vaccination policy for school staff and whether to mandate masks for kindergartners.