Masks will not be mandatory in Ontario schools next semester
Students in Ontario schools will not be required to wear masks come the fall semester, the Ministry of Education confirmed Monday.
Instead, usage will be voluntary and masks will be available to students upon request.
Rapid tests will also remain available to school boards.
Mask mandates ended in most settings in Ontario on March 21, making masks optional for students in classroom settings.
The 2022 fall semester will be the first full term since the onset of the pandemic that Ontario students will not be required to wear masks
Late last month, the Ministry of Education announced a plan to help students catch up following two years of interrupted learning. As part of that plan, COVID-19 protocols within schools will remain the same as last spring.
“Our government’s Plan to Catch Up is designed to keep students in safe classrooms without disruption,” Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in a statement to CTV News Toronto Monday.
“The Plan to Catch Up is focused on helping students get back on track, learn life and job skills, and enjoy the full return of clubs, sports, and extra curriculars -- critical for student physical and mental health. That starts with being in class, on time, with the full school experience coupled with historic mental health and tutoring supports.”
Few new details were released as to how the government plans to ensure in-person learning continues throughout the year, particularly if another wave of COVID-19 hits the province. Instead, the government touted their previous investments in ventilation improvements and HEPA filter units, the provision of rapid COVID-19 tests for staff and students and funding for parents to offset the costs of online learning.
The province says that about $26.6 billion has been allocated for elementary and secondary education in Ontario for the 2022-23 school year.
With files from CTV News Toronto’s Katherine DeClerq.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.