I’m an education worker and I’m scared to return

I am scared to return to work in schools.

Now, before judgments start coming, hear me out.

There are many workers who are nervous, and at times scared, to go to work right now. Education workers are no different. However, we have an opportunity right now to plan what a fully funded safe return to schools may look like, for students, education workers, and their families.

I am the lead guidance/student services in a high-needs area of Toronto. When the schools first closed, I led a team of volunteer education workers in calling every student in our school (often repeatedly, because we could not get a hold of them) simply to check in on how they were doing, their emergency living needs, and their access to electronic devices.

Distance learning is disproportionately affecting Black and racialized students, students from low-income neighbourhoods, and students from other already marginalized communities. I heard every day from students that they wanted to be back in a classroom to learn.

This pandemic has also brought about a whole slew of socioemotional concerns and emergencies that needed, and still need, to be financially supported on a systemic level.

I am passionate about supporting my students. I am also a human being with a Latinx family with elders who want to see the newest member of my family, my child.

I don’t want to be the reason anyone in my family dies. I don’t want to die.

These conflicting feelings are shared amongst many educators, some who are at much higher risk than I am in fatally contracting this disease, or have members in their household, including their children, who are at high risk.

But we care about our students. We want to support them and we understand how this is negatively impacting their academics and socioemotional state.

It’s this duality that keeps me up at night. It shouldn’t. At times like these, our elected leaders need to step up to the plate. Unfortunately, that has not been happening.

School boards have been getting mixed messages about school reopening. Parent groups like the Ontario Parent Action Network have brought attention to the fact that school reopenings are being funded at the low rate of seven cents per child, per day. Education worker groups like Ontario Education Workers United have been advocating for an independent panel of professionals to create a plan on how to reopen schools. Unions like the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation have released frameworks for A Safe Return for All.

Our government’s empty words are triggering anxieties and panic. Instead of legislation that supports school reopening, we see bills that prompt scrutiny and criticism for abusing emergency powers.

Education workers are not alone in this. The Doug Ford Progressive Conservative government repealed paid sick days and minimum wage increases, PSW workers died because of the lack of support during the pandemic, health care workers are still dealing with inadequate PPE, daycare workers were asked to open with no provincial plan, essential front-line workers were praised for working but that’s as far as provincial support went, migrant workers were told to work even if positive for COVID-19.

Now the government wants schools to reopen with no plan, penny funding, and no support for our students and education workers.

Imagine if our government came out with a comprehensive school reopening plan that is fully funded so the safety and well-being of students, educators and families are not jeopardized; a plan that takes into account various student and family equity needs, such as English as a second language, special education and accessibility, transportation, housing, socioemotional well-being, post-secondary planning, health and safety, parent/caregiver work contexts, etc.

With a plan taking all this into account, developed by collaborating with all the many stakeholders, Ontarians would be feeling much more confident about schools reopening in the fall.

It’s time for our government to step up, listen to parents and education workers, and put their money where their mouth is.