Ontario school boards call on province to institute mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for staff

Mississauga | Ontario | COVID |

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Published August 13, 2021 at 7:38 pm

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An association that represents 31 school boards and 10 school authorities in Ontario wants vaccinations mandatory in schools.

The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, with 1.3 million students under its umbrella, has sent the letter to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Education Stephen Lecce.

“I am writing to request that your government act as quickly as possible to implement a policy and strategy to make vaccination mandatory in our schools,” said the association president Cathy Abraham in the letter released Friday afternoon.

“We support the growing number of medical professionals and public health experts calling for such a policy in the education sector.

“Swift and decisive action must be taken to ensure that our schools remain as safe as possible, and that we have the greatest chance of keeping our schools open for in-person learning, which is vital to the mental health and development of our students.”

Thus far, the ruling provincial Conservatives have resisted calls for mandatory vaccinations in any setting, including hospitals, long-term care and schools.

This despite a recent decision by the Ministry of Health to release COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations broken down by vaccination status that clearly shows the majority of cases are in those who are either non- or partially-vaccinated.

Abraham’s letter said her association and member boards are ready to work together to ensure the implementation of such a policy occurs as smoothly as possible.

Many private companies and post-secondary institutions in the province have instituted their own mandatory vaccination policies.

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