Boards urge quick return of extracurriculars
Toronto Public Health asked to keep ‘pause’ on sports temporary
Education directors at four Toronto-area boards have been urging public health officials to allow after-school clubs and sports to start as soon as possible, and have discussed ideas such as only allowing fully vaccinated students to take part, or creating different rules for elementary and secondary schools.
Toronto families were caught by surprise by Wednesday’s last-minute announcement that Toronto Public Health had ordered a pause on all extracurricular activities for September, when neighbouring boards in York, Durham, Peel and Halton are all going ahead with them.
Brendan Browne, director of education for the Toronto Catholic District School Board, said he and the other area directors — from the Toronto public, French public and French Catholic boards — meet weekly, and “we recognize and appreciate the fact that Toronto Public Health is trying to take a cautious approach to September — we want to make sure that when students return to school, that we’re not seeing a correlating spike in cases.”
However, he added, “what we are expressing as directors in Toronto that we recognize that extracurricular activities and athletics are vital and important for our students, they are important from a mentalhealth perspective and from a re-engagement perspective.”
Discussions with public health over COVID-19 protocols were “very much that we would like them to get going as soon as possible. Their recommendation, coming back, was ‘we are just looking for a couple of weeks to make sure the new routines in school are set up and this is congruent with our cautious approach.’ ”
After an outcry from students and parents across the city, Toronto Catholic trustees unanimously voted Thursday night requesting that Browne “communicate with Toronto Public Health to advocate for the earliest possible return to extracurricular and athletic events. Parents, students and educators want a return to extracurricular/sports as soon as is safely possible.”
They noted that because of the pandemic and school shutdowns, students have not had extracurriculars in a year and a half, and that “many organized team sports, track and crosscountry activities take place outside and are weather dependent ... (and) the season to participate in these activities is very short and any further delay could potentially result in another entire school year without these activities.”
The motion, by Etobicoke trustee Markus de Domenico, said teachers and parents “were confused about what the ‘pause’ meant and what effect it would have on their programs, and for the parents, on their children, their emotional and mental health.”
He said he supports Toronto Public Health, but “I wanted the board to make it public so everybody understands that the pause means no activities are permitted … I want the medical authorities to know that we are very concerned about students’ emotional and mental health.”
However, he added, “I find it difficult to think of cross-country running, long jump or whatever — it’s hard to get my mind around how that’s worse than being in a classroom.”
Browne said if the pause lasts just a couple of weeks, there is the possibility of saving earlystartup sports such as football, cross-country or field hockey.
“We really see this as temporary, so we are fully hopeful that we do have a full fall season, even if the season starts a little bit later,” said Browne, adding the extracurricular issue will be “top of the agenda” when directors next meet with public health on Monday.
Enacting different protocols for high school students — who are eligible for vaccines — or only allowing fully vaccinated students to play high-contact sports “are certainly on the table as part of the discussions,” he also said.
In an emailed statement to the Star, Toronto Public Health said it is “is aware of the (Catholic board’s) motion to the province and will continue to consult with our school board partners on public health recommendations to protect the in-person learning environment.”
Ontario students learned from home, online, more than any others in the country since the pandemic began in March 2020 — some 26 weeks. This week marked the return to inperson learning for most of them.
Many were looking forward to joining teams this fall, and athletes and coaches have warned that without sports, students in Toronto will be at a particular disadvantage.
The Ottawa-Carleton public board has also delayed the start of extracurriculars, as have Windsor-area boards.
However, Peel Public Health has said clubs and sports are too important to children’s mental health, and also cited equity issues given that such activities remain available in the community for families that can afford them.
The province’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore, gave the green light to fully resume extracurricular activities, with safety protocols in place, including high-contact indoor sports such as hockey and basketball.
Individual health units are able to set more stringent rules based on local circumstances, which has happened in Toronto, Ottawa and Windsor.