December 1, 2020 — Faced with growing Covid-19 cases in schools, Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce have again failed to safeguard students and staff throughout Ontario’s publicly-funded school system.  Instead of making schools safer by investing in adequate ventilation, smaller class sizes, and mandating that each class, be it a physical classroom or online, has a teacher who is able provide a safe and engaging learning environment for all students, Ford and Lecce have again decided to spend a further $380 million outside of publicly-funded schools, implicitly advancing an undisclosed agenda of creeping privatization.

“Parents need more than a $200 rebate from their provincial government – they need safe schools and high quality education.  The political populism of handing out individual cheques shouldn’t distract from the government’s core responsibility to provide equitable access to educational excellence across the publicly funded system,” said OSSTF/FEESO President Harvey Bischof.

“Publicly-funded education is teetering under the weight of Covid-19, despite the outstanding efforts of education workers and teachers.  This government needs to show a greater commitment to actions that prioritize the safety of our students, parents, and families by investing in the resources schools need to keep everyone safe and learning,” concluded Bischof.