TDSB students 12 and up must be vaccinated to play competitive winter sports
All Toronto District School Board students ages 12 and up must be fully vaccinated to take part in competitive winter sports, including basketball, hockey, and swimming, the school board confirmed Friday.
In a statement, the TDSB said that students will need both doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine to participate in sports that involve competition between schools, mixing of students, and travel to other TDSB schools and/ or external venues.
For sports that occur within their school and only with students from their school, it is recommended that participants are vaccinated but vaccination is not required.
“Sports and other activities are important to students’ mental and physical health and overall school experience and TDSB staff have been working over the past several weeks to safely re-introduce some school sports and teams. Many families, students and staff have had questions regarding the re-introduction of sports and student vaccination,” the school board’s statement read.
“This decision is consistent with recommendations from Toronto Public Health and has been made with the health and safety of students and staff in mind, as getting vaccinated helps ensure strong protection against COVID-19. The TDSB decision also follows other school boards that require student vaccination to participate in sports.”
The TDSB noted that many competitions and finals occur in venues where a vaccine mandate already exists and in instances where students attend those facilities, they will need to show proof of vaccination to enter the building.
“Students will be required to upload proof of vaccination to the Service Now App (see instructions below) to participate on any inter-school team,” the TDSB added.
“In rare cases where a student is unable to be vaccinated, we will work with Toronto Public Health and staff to develop a process to support these students so they can safely participate where possible.”
This week, the province began rolling out its vaccination program for children ages five to 11 following Health Canada’s approval of Pfizer’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine.
The TDSB said it will “continue to follow the guidance and recommendations provided by Toronto Public Health” and will implement additional vaccination requirements for younger students if it is deemed necessary.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A 'tragedy that can't be measured': North Bay's forever chemical problem is also the rest of Canada's
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Questlove was not happy with Drake and Kendrick Lamar's beef: 'Nobody won the war'
While some may have been excited and/or amused by the diss-track feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, the man many consider to be an elder statesman of hip-hop appears less than enthused about it.
Here's what 'the hinge' move is, how to do it correctly
When you're picking something up from the floor or bending over to tie your shoe laces, you're performing "the hinge move," according to movement trainers.
Trump heading to Jersey Shore to rally 'mega crowd' in weekend break from hush money trial
After a long week in court, Donald Trump is heading to the Jersey Shore. And his campaign says he'll be joined by "tens of thousands" of his friends.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.