parents to protest wednesday for safer return to ontario schools

when jessica lyons thinks about sending her two young children back to school this fall, she says her heart feels like it’s gripped in a vise.the kids need school, and she doesn’t want to quit her job as a nurse to stay home full time. but lyons is convinced the government’s plan for reopening schools does not provide enough protection against covid-19.she belongs to a grassroots group, ontario parent action network, that is part of a campaign to pressure the provincial government to spend more on reopening schools, from making classes smaller to hiring more custodians and upgrading sinks and ventilation systems.the government’s plan is “not safe,” says the toronto mom, who also has a toddler at home. “they are forcing parents into a choice — keep your kids safe or keep your job. parents feel trapped and very afraid.”without more funding, school reopening will fail and set back economic recovery, she says.“we’ll be back to lockdown. then our kids don’t get to go to school at all.”the campaign, which is also backed by education unions, urges people to write to politicians, post on social media using the hashtag #safeseptember and join a protest wednesday at the office of their local mpp.this is a critical week, says lyons. there is still time to make improvements — whether it’s repairing windows or hiring more teachers — before school starts.officials at the ottawa-carleton district school board have said they are optimistic the province will provide emergency covid-19 funding for cleaning and personal protective equipment.the province has promised $25 million in mental health supports and technology for online learning.the big ticket item requested by critics is making classes smaller to help protect against the spread of the virus.some estimates have emerged about how much that would cost.the ontario liberal party has called for the government to spend a total of $3.2 billion more for a variety of measures at elementary and secondary schools. (expenditures for education are estimated at $30.3 billion in 2020-21.)according to the liberal plan, reducing elementary classes to 15 students would require hiring 15,000 teachers at a cost of $1.3 billion. the plan recommends hiring 2,000 more secondary teachers for $170 million and creating 14,000 more classrooms in spaces like community centres at a cost of $200 million.the toronto district school board costed various options for a full return to school with smaller classes. for example, it would cost that board $249 million to create elementary school classes of 15 students because 2,489 teachers would have to be hired. if the school day was shortened by 48 minutes, eliminating the need to hire teachers to cover prep time, the cost would be $99 million.the board also suggested less expensive alternatives. for example, creating classes of 15 students in kindergarten to grade 3 and classes of 20 in grades 4 to 8, coupled with a shorter school day, would cost $20 million.lyons rejects the idea that the province, which is facing a hefty deficit due to covid-19, can’t afford it.“it’s a matter of priorities. what does it mean to say we can’t afford to keep the children of ontario safe?”she’s convinced the campaign has broad support. it’s not just progressive types from downtown toronto who have signed up for the protests on wednesday, she says. parents plan to show up at all but two of the mpp offices in the province, she says.“it’s cutting across political stripes. there is no more important thing in people’s lives than their kids.”ontario’s minister of education stephen lecce has said he prefers that students go back to school full time, but will follow guidance from public health authorities.school boards must plan for three scenarios: regular full-time school with health protocols; full-time online learning at home; or a hybrid of both, with part-time classes in bubbles of a maximum of 15 students.groups staging the protests want 15-student classroom cohorts and school five days a week. smaller classes and cohorts make it easier to physically distance and to track and contain any outbreaks.one of the key determinants of safely returning to school is the level of virus spread in the community, say experts.additional “layers” that could help protect students and staff at schools include physical distancing, masks and personal protective equipment, class cohorts that remain with the same teacher, more cleaning, banning large gatherings and not sharing objects.jmiller@postmedia.com