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
Budget 2024 'likely to be the worst' in decades, former BoC governor says
Without having seen it, former Bank of Canada governor David Dodge believes that Tuesday's 2024 federal budget from Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is 'likely to be the worst budget' in decades.
What's at stake for Canada after Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel
Following the Iranian missile and drone strikes against Israel over the weekend, Canada should take the threat of Iran and potential escalation of the conflict seriously, one global affairs analyst says.
Former B.C. school trustee's 'strip-tease artist' remark was defamatory, judge rules
A controversial former school trustee from B.C.'s Fraser Valley who described a political rival as a "strip-tease artist" during an election campaign has been ordered to pay her $45,000 for defamation.
'A sense of urgency': Sask. man accused of abducting daughter calls himself to the stand during trial
Michael Gordon Jackson, the man on trial after being charged with contravention of a custody order for allegedly abducting his daughter in late 2021 to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, called himself to the stand Monday.
Kingston, Ont.'s Aaliyah Edwards drafted into WNBA
After four years at the University of Connecticut, Edwards was selected sixth overall by the Washington Mystics in the WNBA draft Monday night.
NASA confirms mystery object that crashed through roof of Florida home came from space station
NASA confirmed Monday that a mystery object that crashed through the roof of a Florida home last month was a chunk of space junk from equipment discarded at the International Space Station.
A knife attack in Australia against a bishop and a priest is being treated as terrorism, police say
Horrified worshippers watched online and in person as a bishop was stabbed at the altar during a church service in Sydney on Sunday evening.
Body of 14-year-old boy pulled from Lake Ontario, police say he drowned while swimming
The body of a 14-year-old boy has been pulled from Lake Ontario after police say he drowned while swimming near Ashbridges Bay Park on Sunday night.
'Rust' armourer gets 18 months in prison for fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin on set
A movie weapons supervisor was sentenced to 18 months in prison in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of 'Rust.'