Teachhard

2020

2020-08-14T14:00:00.663-07:00

Sunday, June 19, 2022

(All pictures that are part of the articles have been removed because of limits in storage space. To see the pictures search the news source.)

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(Please donate $20.00 to foster care with your local Children's Aid office.)

(Please donate to UNICEF, for the kids who need help.)

*CBC News, The impact of 'social malnutrition' on students' mental health and how to address it; June 18

*Globe and Mail, How should children learn how to read? June 18

*Kingston Whig-Standard, Bishop Smith Catholic High School senior drama class presents 'Back to the 80's - The Totally Awesome Musical,'; June 14

*CBC News, FDA advisors vote to authorize 2 COVID-19 vaccines for kids 5 and under in U.S.; June 15

*London Free Press, Oakridge trailblazers set to graduate with advanced learning I.B. diploma; June 16

*Peterborough Examiner, Catholic school board anticipates layoffs amid $1M-plus budget deficit, June 16

*Peterborough Examiner, With more kids working and getting hurt on the job, Quebec to review labour laws; June 16

*Toronto Star, High school students across Canada to be trained on how to administer naloxone; June 15

*CBC News, Hidden racial slur sparks recall of hundreds of yearbooks from suburban Montreal high school; June 14

*CBC News, Quebec Ombudsman finds 'disconnect' between education services and students with learning difficulties; June 13

*CBC News, Boy, 11, found dead in river after going missing in Lindsey, Ontario; June 13

*CBC News, 'It just feels blessed': TDSB finally gets to unveil Centre of Excellence for Black students; June 13

*Edmonton Journal, Alberta Teacher's Association votes to accept mediator's recommendation; June 13

*CBC News, From juggling to cricket: How parents and teachers can help kids kick the pandemic slump; June 13

*Vancouver Sun, Adopt-a-School: Need for food and clothing for schoolkids greater than ever; April 15

*London Free Press, Baranyai: Suicide prevention may be key to prevent school shootings; June 13

*Toronto Star, Camp can boost everything from a child's sense of community to their own self-worth in just one short week, writes reporter Rosa Soba; June 12

*Globe and Mail, Amplify: Teaching children about the reality of being frugal; June 10

*Vancouver Sun, Vaughn Palmer, 'News to me,' says B.C. premier about school spending freeze; June 9

*CBC News, Driver hits school group in Berlin; teacher killed, 9 people injured; June 8

*London Free Press, Bennett: Ontario needs recovery plan for its students; June 6

*Windsor Star, Pride flags stolen at local schools: Board; June 6

*CBC News, Ohio set to allow teachers, other staff to carry guns at school, after 24 hours of training; June 4

*Montreal Gazette, English Montreal School Board files lawsuit challenging Bill 96; June 4

*Montreal Gazette, Quebec could act against schools offering Grade 12 option, Roberge warns; June 4

*Windsor Star, Half of local high school students need updated shots, says health unit; June 1

*London Free Press, 'Historic event': Officials cheer Black student conference for local schools; June 1

*National Post, Toronto area teens charged for burst of pellet gun incidents at schools; June 1

*Toronto Star, Oakville school lockdowns lifted after sighting of man with replica gun; June 1

*Toronto Star, The time has come for teaching 'food literacy' in schools; June 1

*Hamilton Spectator, Police investigate school shooting threat at Bishop Tonnos in Ancaster; May 31

*muskokaregion.com, School safety in challenging times; May 29

*CBC News, 2 York Region schools put in 'hold and secure' after teens made threat with fake guns, police say; May 31

*Ottawa Citizen, Principal at Ottawa high school that held dress-code blitz leaves job; May 30

*Kingston Whig Standard, "Inaccurate" information prompted false alarm at schools: police; May 30

*Kingston Whig Standard, Sudbury families protest Ford governments handling of autism programs; May 29

POLITICS: HOW TO LOWER INFLATION FROM 6.8%: USE PUBLIC TRANSIT AND CABS FOR ONE MONTH. GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO FREEZE ALL SALARIES AND BENEFITS FOR ONE YEAR. NO ONE BUY A HOUSE FOR ONE YEAR. ALL CORPORATE SALARIES AND BENEFITS MUST BE FROZEN FOR ONE YEAR.

*CBC News, Officials confirm 10 cases of severe, unexplained hepatitis among Canadian children; May 20

(Obviously this is very concerning. Hepatitis can destroy a liver. Hopefully doctors can identify the cause of why it is spreading and develop a strategy to protect children.)

*Belleville Intelligencer, Community editorial board: The challenge of staying motivated after a full day of school; May 22

(The education program is not easy, especially if you are aiming for a successful career that requires academic level maths and sciences. Then if you love sports, too, and you are on a team you have a busy schedule and workload. Teens need to choose priorities and know their personal limits or they will get disappointing results and have to settle for secondary choices. The competition to get into preferred programs is very tough such as the science program. Hopefully teens can make it through successfully or learn from mistakes and not repeat them over and over.)

*CBC News, Rivals hit out at Ford's record on health care, public education during Ontario leaders' debate; May 16

(I am so angry, still, about unfair hiring in teaching in Ontario 2002-2016 that if I were in Ontario I would vote for the PC's.)

*CBC News, Arrest of teen at high school dress code protest draws ire, praise; May 16

(I support dress codes for students. Some students wear the smallest outfits and some teens are very distracted in the classroom, as a result. The classroom is not a training area for adult entertainment.)

*CBC News, Researchers investigate link between COVID-19 and severe acute hepatitis in children; May 16

(This is very serious. I understand hepatitis can destroy the liver.)

*National Post, Cops to Ottawa Catholic high school as students walk out to protest dress code; May 14

*Globe and Mail, Students call for an end to high-school dress codes after girls singled out in incident at Ottawa Catholic out; May 16

*An experienced science teacher brought these concerning and troubling reports to my attention:

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2021/08/13/how-does-virtual-learning-impact-students-in-higher-education/

and...

https://hbr.org/2013/12/students-get-lower-grades-in-online-courses

*CBC News, Doug Ford says he supports Stephen Lecce after apology for fraternity 'slave auction'; May 13

(Not a serious mistake. "Let you who have not sinned..."

*CBC News, ADHD isn't a liability, just a differently-wired brain that comes with a different set of strengths; May 12

(Kinesthetic learning can help...?)

*Toronto Star, Doug Ford lays low after PC MPP Stephen Lecce apologizes for fraternity 'slave auction'; May 12

*CBC News, OCDSB trustees close debate on police in schools indefinitely; May 11

(It depends on the neighbourhood. How many students have been murdered in Scarborough the past two years?)

*Thames Valley celebrates record graduation in London, Ontario, London Free Press, May 11

(Impressive. Principal, please send out a memo on best practices to all schools.)

*London Free Press, Agar: Pleasant, inclusive, mediocre-the future of education in Canada; May 12

*CBC News, These high school students aren't eligible to vote. Here are the issues they wish they had say in; May 12

*London Free Press, London musical talents come together to back kids arts program; May 12

*Do you trust Fraser Institute rankings?

https://www.compareschoolrankings.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-6LrpanU9wIVLdxMAh14IQJDEAAYASAAEgIoLvD_BwE

*London Free Press, Ontario Liberals pledge to add COVID-19 vaccine to school immunization list; May 7

*Windsor Star, Race for Ontario: Parties spar over future of education post-pandemic; May 7

*Waterloo The Record, Update: Retired teacher suing Waterloo public school board, chair seeks $1.75 million in damages; May 7

*Waterloo The Record, Student hurt after two youths shoot air guns at Cambridge high school; May 8

*Ottawa Citizen, Ontario Liberals will offer Grade 13 optional; May 6

*CBC News, Ontario Liberals commit to cap class sizes for all grades at 20 students; May 5

*Toronto Sun, Lilley: Del Duca's education plan fails the test; May 6

*London Free Press, Staples: Success of new Alberta math curriculum stands on the edge of knife; May 6

*CTV News, Kids Help Phone benefits from Calgary charity walk; May 2

*CTV News, Indigenous women more likely to face violence if they were a child in care: report; May 2

*Toronto Star, Education students say they're stuck waiting for approval to work as badly needed supply teachers; April 30

*Belleville Intelligencer, Murray Centennial Public School to get 170 new student spaces; May 1

*Globe and Mail, Ontario parents and daycare operators confused about when fees will drop; May 1

2020, Covid-19 and the Classroom

2019-03-25T22:02:00.032-07:00

(All pictures are removed since they use up too much storage space.)

(To see the pictures that are part of an article click on the address link.)
(To read comments that people leave on the main news site click on the address link.)

(If you have a story you'd like to share email me at teachhard@gmail.com and I may copy and paste it into the blog. Give your permission to me. I will protect your identity and keep it anonymous as much as I can. Email systems have service providers who "monitor" email activity so you don't have total privacy.)

Do teachers mark assignments and tests using a 75% class average policy? A teacher told me that he was told that his class marks should average out to 75%. Too many teachers used to give away 80, 85, 90% so they looked like the greatest teacher in the world. But the marks were false. Somebody has to take a 75, a 70, or a 60 or a 55 but no one wants them. Parents, ask for an audit of your child's class marks to see if they average out to 75. Is this fair or honest? The principal tells the teacher before the marking what the class average should be?

STAY SAFE. WEAR A MASK. AVOID BEING CLOSE TO OTHERS. CLEAN YOUR HANDS EVERY HOUR.

REDUCE CLASS SIZES? OK, BUT HOW DO YOU DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS IN A FEW WEEKS? HARDLY REALISTIC. REMOTE LEARNING IS SAFER. IF WE JUST GET THROUGH THIS SCHOOL YEAR THINGS WILL SETTLE DOWN, I BELIEVE.

New quarantine home study elementary grade math resources available below as of August 13, 2020.

Link for resources:

http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/math/guides_effective_instruction.html

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https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/08/13/coronavirus-updates-covid-19-canada-toronto-gta-ontario-august-13-2020.html

Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario pledges $50M for improved ventilation in schools; Ontario’s top doctor warns residents not to get casual with COVID-19 rules

By Star staff

Thu., Aug. 13, 2020timer31 min. read

KEY FACTS

10:13 a.m. Ontario is reporting 78 cases of COVID-19

7:43 a.m. The TDSB is holding a webinar Thursday to discuss the safe re-opening of schools in September

7 a.m. Premier Doug Ford will meet with local leaders in Windsor-Essex today

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Thursday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

4 p.m. The Ontario government has announced new funding for schools to cover their COVID costs, including $50 million for ventilation systems, $18 million in supports for online learning and is allowing boards to dip further into their reserves to hire extra staff.

Boards will be allowed to access about two per cent of their reserves, freeing up about $500 million, with the government filling in the gaps for the handful of boards that no longer have any reserves.

In a news conference at Queen’s Park, Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s minister of education, is expected to provide an update on the province’s plan for the 2020–21 school year. The minister is joined by Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health. The Ontario government has faced growing concerns over its current plan for students’ return to classrooms amid the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) pandemic.

Read the full story from the Star’s Kristin Rushowy: Ontario government announces extra funding for schools’ COVID costs

3:45 p.m. In a news conference at Queen’s Park, Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s minister of education, is expected to provide an update on the province’s plan for the 2020–21 school year. A livestream of the news conference is available on thestar.com.

3:30 p.m. Quebec is reporting 104 new cases of COVID-19 and six more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus.

The province said today four of the new deaths occurred between Aug. 6-11, one took place before Aug. 6, and one is from an unknown date.

Quebec has now reported 5,715 deaths since the pandemic began and 60,917 total cases.

Public health officials say the number of hospitalizations dropped by two in the past 24 hours for a total of 149.

Twenty-three people hospitalized are in intensive care, an increase of three from the previous day.

The province says 15,259 COVID-19 tests were carried out on Aug. 11, the last day for which testing data is available.

3:30 p.m. The New Brunswick government says all students returning to public school this September will be required to bring a face mask to school to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but masks will not be required inside the classroom.

The new rules are spelled out in a 16-page guide that says singing, the playing of wind instruments and large assemblies will not be allowed.

Education Minister Dominic Cardy says students in Grades 6 to 12 will be required to wear face masks on the school bus and in common areas, such as washrooms and in the hallways.

However, the use of face masks in common areas will be optional for students in kindergarten to Grade 5.

The guide also calls for reduced group sizes, enhanced cleaning, staggered meal times, hand-sanitation stations, classroom bubbles for students in kindergarten to Grade 8 and physical distancing requirements for those who take the bus to school.

As well, the province will restrict access to schools by limiting the travel of personnel between schools and requiring parents to stay outside the school unless they have an appointment or are picking up a sick child.

As for high school students, the guide says they may be "learning in a blended environment," which means attending school every other day at a minimum.

"We know students, families and educators still had many questions on what to expect when they go back into the classroom," Cardy said in a statement.

"A critical part of reopening schools while we live through this pandemic is protecting the health and safety of staff and students. However, our mandate continues to be ensuring that students have access to quality, inclusive education that positions them for long-term success."

3:15 p.m. With the deadline looming to register kids to return to school — or opt for remote learning — parents across the GTA say they are being forced to make critical decisions about their children’s educational future without sufficient information around class sizes, safety protocols, and what online learning will actually look like.

For the public school boards in Toronto, Peel and Halton, the deadline to register a decision is next Monday, while York Region District School Board’s deadline is this Friday. Parents with children in the Durham District School Board submitted their decisions earlier this week.

But the process, particularly for parents in the Toronto District School Board, has been fraught with chaos, confusion and mounting anger at how the registration is being rolled out.

With the Ford government’s plan to reopen schools in September, but doing little to limit class sizes, school boards across the province have been faced with the difficult task of giving parents direction and options without all the details at hand.

“We are worried sick about what we are going to do,” said Karen Leiva, whose son is supposed to go into senior kindergarten in September, but her husband is a transplant recipient and at high-risk for COVID-19. “He can’t go back to a regular class, it’s too much risk. And at the moment, they are asking us to make decisions based on little to no information.

Read the full story by the Star’s Noor Javed: ‘Parents are so stressed out.’ Confusion reigns as parents asked to make quick back-to-school decisions

2:50 p.m. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio held firm to plans to reopen the nation’s largest public school system within a month, despite pleas from teachers and principals to delay the return of students to classrooms.

The city is aiming for a hybrid reopening Sept. 10, with most of the 1.1 million students spending two or three days a week in physical classrooms and learning remotely the rest of the time. Parents were given the option of requesting full-time remote learning for their children.

The Democratic mayor conceded there were challenges with the plan as the city recovers from a pandemic. But he says the city has managed to lower the rate of positive cases to around 1%.

The union representing school administrators sent a letter to de Blasio and Chancellor Richard Carranza on Wednesday, saying school leaders still had questions about various issues, including staffing, personal protective equipment and ventilation system repairs.

2:50 p.m. A potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University will be produced in Mexico if its advanced trials are successful and it receives regulatory approval, the government said Thursday.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the agreement with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, which also provides for production in Argentina, should result in a vaccine that the government would provide free starting in the first quarter of 2021.

Production of the vaccine in Mexico and Argentina would allow for distribution throughout Latin America, except for Brazil, which had already reached its own agreement with the drug maker.

Sylvia Varela, AstraZeneca’s president in Mexico said the cost of a dose would be around $4, but López Obrador said the government would cover that expense.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the foundation of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim would effectively guarantee production starts on time. He said results from the Phase III clinical trials are expected in November.

2:50 p.m. Spain’s daily number of new coronavirus cases reached nearly 3,000 Thursday, up significantly from 1,690 the previous day.

That’s the highest daily number of new infections since April, as countries around Europe are concerned about a second wave of the coronavirus.

Emergency health response chief Fernando Simón says part of the increase was due to the Madrid region reporting the numbers for two days, after missing the deadline Wednesday.

Cases in Spain have been steadily increasing since the country ended a more than three-month lockdown on June 21. Simons says there is no pressure on the health system, with coronavirus patients occupying only 3% of hospital beds.

Spain is conducting around 340,000 nasal swab tests a week, he says. More than 50% of cases are asymptomatic, and the average age of infected people is 42 for women and 39 for men.

The Health Ministry says Spain has officially recorded more than 337,00 total infections and more than 28,000 deaths.

2:16 p.m. Students heading back to school in Manitoba can expect masks on buses, staggered recess times and sanitizing stations.

The province has released protocols for parents and teachers about what’s required ahead of schools opening their doors to students on Sept. 8.

Manitoba’s chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, says masks will not be mandatory but are strongly recommended for students in Grades 5 to 12.

Masks will be required, however, on buses and parents are being encouraged to drive their kids to schools as much as possible.

Parents are also being asked to screen children for symptoms every morning and keep them home if they aren’t feeling well.

The province will be providing masks as well as other personal protective equipment to school divisions.

2 p.m. Ontario’s top doctor is warning that some people are getting “casual” with pandemic public health rules, and that contributed to an outbreak at a Muskoka resort.

Dr. David Williams, the province’s chief medical officer of health, says a group of out-of-town residents who attended the resort on the August long weekend ignored physical distancing and social bubble rules.

The local public health unit confirms a group of 30 people attended the Deerhurst Resort that weekend, and 11 of them have subsequently tested positive for COVID-19

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit says none of the people had symptoms while they were on the trip, but developed them later.

Williams warned that the pandemic is not over and people across the province must continue to be vigilant.

He says in these instances, local businesses must be closed in until local public health units can investigate.

12:58 p.m. World Health Organization says the vaccine approved by Russia this week is not among the nine that it considers in the advanced stages of testing.

WHO and partners have included nine experimental COVID-19 vaccines within an investment mechanism it is encouraging countries to join, known as the Covax facility. The initiative allows countries to invest in several vaccines to obtain early access, while theoretically providing funding for developing countries.

“We don’t have sufficient information at this point to make a judgment” on the Russia vaccine, said Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to WHO’s director-general. “We’re currently in conversation with Russia to get additional information to understand the status of that product, the trials that have been undertaken and then what the next steps might be.”

This week, President Vladimir Putin announced Russia had approved a coronavirus vaccine that has yet to complete advanced trials in people and claimed, without evidence, the immunization protects people for up to two years.

12:18 p.m. A Costa Rican man in federal immigration custody has become the second detainee in Georgia to die from COVID-19 complications.

Officials say 70-year-old Jose Guillen-Vega died on Monday after being hospitalized since Aug. 1. Guillen-Vega was held at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin. He’s the fifth person to die while in an ICE detention facility nationwide.

The detention centre has reported more than 150 coronavirus cases. Guillen-Vega had diabetes and hypertension.

Advocates have been asking the agency to release at-risk detainees during the pandemic.

12:18 p.m. Greece’s foreign minister says his country will allow tourists from Israel to enter.

Nikos Dendias announced during a visit to Israel that 600 Israeli tourists will be allowed into four Greek destinations per week.

It wasn’t immediately clear under what conditions the tourists will be allowed in and whether they must quarantine upon arrival.

Dendias met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. Israel’s Foreign Ministry says there was no decision regarding Greek tourists to Israel.

Israel is challenged by high daily coronavirus infections, adjusted for population. However, the country is taking steps to open travel for its citizens.

12:18 p.m. A court in Austria has fined a woman 10,800 euros ($12,810) for leaving her quarantine while infected with the coronavirus.

The regional court in Tyrol found the 54-year-old German woman had breached the order to stay home three times.

Police officers who checked on the woman found her shopping in a supermarket, strolling in a park and visiting a hospital to treat an injured hand.

The defendant can appeal the ruling.

12:13 p.m. Four Toronto post-secondary institutions have decided not to hold in-person convocation ceremonies this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

York University says it made the “difficult decision” alongside Ryerson University, the University of Toronto and Seneca College.

In a statement, York’s president and vice-chancellor says the school will hold a virtual ceremony.

Rhonda Lenton says students will receive a package that includes their diploma, cap and tassel, and other celebratory items.

She says the school will hold an in-person ceremony for all graduates affected by the pandemic “when it is once again safe and permitted to do so.”

Lenton says the other institutions will have their own approach to marking the milestone.

11:59 a.m. Not two months after battling back the coronavirus, Spain’s hospitals are beginning to see patients struggling to breathe returning to their wards.

The deployment of a military emergency brigade to set up a field hospital in Zaragoza this week is a grim reminder that Spain is far from claiming victory over the coronavirus that devastated the European country in March and April.

Authorities said the field hospital is a precaution, but no one has forgotten scenes of hospitals filled to capacity and the daily death toll reaching over 900 fatalities a few months ago.

While an enhanced testing effort is revealing that a majority of the infected are asymptomatic and younger, making them less likely to need medical treatment, concern is increasing as hospitals begin to see more patients.

Experts are searching for reasons why Spain is struggling more than its neighbours after western Europe had won a degree of control over the pandemic.

11:59 a.m. The first call in early April was from the testing centre, informing the nurse she was positive for COVID-19 and should quarantine for two weeks.

The second call, less than 20 minutes later, was from her employer, as the hospital informed her she could return to her job within two days.

“I slept 20 hours a day,” said the nurse, who works at a hospital in New Jersey’s Hackensack Meridian Health system and spoke on the condition of anonymity because she is fearful of retaliation by her employer. Though she didn’t have a fever, “I was throwing up. I was coughing. I had all the G.I. symptoms you can get,” referring to gastrointestinal COVID-19 symptoms like diarrhea and nausea.

“You’re telling me, because I don’t have a fever, that you think it’s safe for me to go take care of patients?” the nurse said. “And they told me yes.”

Guidance from public health experts has evolved as they have learned more about the coronavirus, but one message has remained consistent: If you feel sick, stay home.

Yet hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities have flouted that simple guidance, pressuring workers who contract COVID-19 to return to work sooner than public health standards suggest it’s safe for them, their colleagues or their patients. Some employers have failed to provide adequate paid leave, if any at all, so employees felt they had to return to work — even with coughs and possibly infectious — rather than forfeit the paycheck they need to feed their families.

11:48 a.m. The federal government is offering $31 million to help communities find ways to adapt to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna says the money could be used for everything from making it easier to physically distance on playgrounds to building apps so people can access government services from a distance.

The new program, the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative, is aimed at non-governmental organizations that will work with municipalities and other groups to identify projects over the next two years.

The government says it is taking the $31 million from $170 million left in the Smart Cities Challenge program.

That program has been used to encourage cities to find new ways to use data and technology to help residents.

Information on how groups can apply to the new program will be announced soon.

(Updated) 11:30 a.m. WE Charity is scaling back its operations, making dozens of layoffs in Canada and the United Kingdom and looking to sell some of its real estate holdings in Toronto.

The charity has been embroiled in a political controversy since the Trudeau government chose it to run a now-abandoned youth volunteer program.

WE Charity says its financial position has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and “recent events,” prompting a need to shift programming and reduce staff.

At its global headquarters in Toronto, 16 full-time employees will be laid off and another 51 employees working on fixed-term contracts with the charity won’t have their contracts renewed when they expire at the end of the month.

WE Charity’s U.K. operations will be centralized in Canada, which means 19 full-time and contract employees in London will be laid off.

In addition, a number of buildings on a block near Moss Park in Toronto acquired by the charity as part of a 25th anniversary plan to create a youth campus will be assessed by the organization to determine which ones could be sold.

11:24 a.m. More than 12 million eggs will be redistributed via an emergency federal program designed to help farmers faced with too much food and nowhere to sell it due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced Thursday that the government has signed eight agreements worth nearly $50 million to help align the needs of food banks and other community groups with what farmers and producers can supply.

“This is a win-win,” she said in a statement.

“Not only are we helping producers who cannot sell their goods to restaurants, but we are also aiding Canadians that have had to seek help from food banks.”

The organizations receiving the money include Food Banks Canada, Second Harvest and the Quebec group La Tablee des Chefs.

Altogether, approximately 12 million kilograms of everything from fish to fowl will be redistributed under the $50-million food surplus program announced by the Liberals earlier this year.

11:24 a.m. Health officials in New Brunswick are reporting two new cases of COVID-19.

The Public Health Department said today the new cases involve temporary foreign workers who have been in self-isolation since they arrived in Moncton.

One is between 30 and 39 years old, and the other is between 50 and 59 years old.

Meanwhile, authorities said today the COVID-19 case reported Wednesday in the Fredericton area is now recovered.

New Brunswick has reported a total of 180 cases of COVID-19, 169 of which are considered recovered.

The virus has claimed two lives in the province and there are nine active cases of COVID-19.

11 a.m. Ontario’s Minister of Education Stephen Lecce and Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health, will make an education announcement at 3:45 p.m. Thursday.

10:28 a.m. Children can safely wear masks starting at age 2 — and they should be mandatory in schools to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, says the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, plans for the safe return of children to school, child care, and other group settings must include the universal use of cloth face coverings by children two years of age and older and the adults with whom they interact,” says the guidance from the prestigious academy, issued Thursday.

It comes as teacher unions across Ontario continue to push for changes so that all students — not just those from Grades 4 to 12 — wear masks when they return to class this fall.

The province has urged younger children, from junior kindergarten to Grade 3, to wear masks.

Ontario is the only jurisdiction to require masks all day when school returns, though a handful of other provinces have said teens need to wear them in the hallways, or on buses.

Read the full story from the Star’s Kristin Rushowy: Make masks mandatory for all students, urges American Academy of Pediatrics

(Updated) 10:13 a.m. Ontario is reporting 78 new cases of COVID-19 today and no new deaths from the novel coronavirus, but Health Minister Christine Elliott says today’s numbers do not include data from Toronto Public Health.

Elliott also says hospitalizations due to the virus declined over the previous 24 hours, while the number of patients in intensive care and on ventilators remained stable.

The province also announced this morning that 99 more cases were marked as resolved.

Ontario’s total case count is now 40,367, with 36,689 marked as resolved and 2,787 deaths.

The province says it processed 29,626 tests over the last 24 hours.

10 a.m. Ontario’s southern urban centres were the first and hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, while some rural regions managed to stave off the virus for nearly 10 weeks before cases were reported, data collected by the Star shows.

While the first case in the province — a man in Toronto — was recorded on Jan. 23, it took six weeks before regions outside of Toronto reported cases of the coronavirus. For one more week, the virus would stay confined to southern Ontario. Then by week 10, it had spread across the province with the GTA as the epicentre.

Health units for Porcupine, Thunder Bay and Algoma in Ontario’s north of the province were free of confirmed cases until early March, with Thunder Bay not reporting a case until week 10 of the pandemic. In the south of the province, the health units of Haldimand-Norfolk, Lambton and Southwestern were also free of reported cases. Week 10 directly followed Ontario’s March Break — March 16 to 20 — a time when it was feared returning vacationers would trigger a spike.

Read the full story from the Star’s Jenna Moon: COVID-19 hit Ontario’s cities first and hardest. Here’s how it spread to rural areas — and why they’re more vulnerable now than ever

9:55 a.m. East Carolina University police say about 20 parties, including one with nearly 400 people in attendance, were shut down during the school’s opening weekend.

Lt. Chris Sutton of the East Carolina University Police Department told McClatchy News the parties were held last week and over the weekend at the school.

Nearly 5,500 students began moving into their dorm rooms at the university last Wednesday. Sutton says most of the parties that campus authorities have shut down since then were “manageable,” with between 25 and 50 people.

Sutton says the party with 400 people was held a few blocks from the school in an area dominated by off-campus student housing. They dispersed once authorities arrived.

9:55 a.m. Rome prosecutors have formally told Premier Giuseppe Conte and other ministers they have opened an investigation into the government’s coronavirus response.

A statement Thursday from Conte’s office notes such investigations are required when complaints are received. However, prosecutors have already informed the government that it considers the claims “unfounded and worthy of being shelved.”

Conte and the ministers say they were available to provide any information “in a spirit of maximum collaboration.”

Italy was the first country in Europe to become the epicenter of COVID-19 and has a confirmed death toll of more than 35,000, now sixth highest in the world.

Conte and the health and interior ministers already had been questioned by Bergamo prosecutors investigating a delay in locking down two key towns in hard-hit Lombardy. The Bergamo prosecutors have made clear they interviewed government authorities as informed witnesses, not suspects.

9:55 a.m. An official with the Swedish Transport Administration urged people in Sweden to use public transport only if necessary this fall.

Roberto Maiorana says his agency is experiencing increased traffic.

“Travel only if you have to, and if you have to, avoid the rush hour. Bicycle or walk if you can,” he says. “Do not replace public transport with travel by car unnecessarily, as it might cause traffic jams.”

In Sweden, a total of 5,776 deaths — two more from Wednesday — have been confirmed.

Swedish chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell whose country has opted for a much-debated coronavirus approach of keeping large parts of the society open, says there’s a trend of only a “few deaths per day.”

In neighbouring Finland, the government recommended face masks be used on public transportation and in public places where it’s difficult to keep distance from other people. Masks are not mandatory in Sweden.

9:55 a.m. The United Nations estimates that 43% of schools around the world don’t have access to water and soap for basic hand-washing.

The new report comes as countries wrestle with when and how to safely open schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report by the World Health Organization and UNICEF says more than one-third of the 818 million children around the globe who lacked basic hand-washing facilities at their schools last year are in sub-Saharan Africa.

The report says authorities must balance health concerns with economic and social ones in deciding on opening schools, and it notes the negative effects that long closures have on children.

The report also says one in three schools around the world have limited or no drinking water service.

9:55 a.m. A Greek prosecutor has ordered an investigation into a string of infections at a retirement home in northern Greece, where 33 of the 150 residents and three staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.

Authorities say 20 people from the home at Asvestochori, a village outside the northern city of Thessaloniki, were taken to a hospital Wednesday with mild symptoms. The disease is believed to have been spread by a staff member who got it from a relative who had visited a popular holiday resort.

The investigation was ordered Thursday.

Greece has seen a rise in COVID-19 infections, which reached 262 on Wednesday, the highest since the virus outbreak.

The country of 11 million has registered about 6,200 confirmed cases, and 216 deaths.

9:55 a.m. The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has imposed its first nationwide lockdown due to a virus infection in a returning traveller who had been released from quarantine.

The government issued a stay-at-home order for its approximately 750,000 people, and all schools, offices and commercial establishments were closed.

The government’s statement says the lockdown would be enforced from five to 21 days “to identify and isolate all positive cases, immediately breaking the chain of transmission.”

The 27-year-old Bhutanese woman returning from Kuwait tested negative in mandatory quarantine for arriving travellers. But between her discharge from quarantine and her positive test result Monday, she is believed to have travelled extensively in Bhutan.

The tourism-dependent country closed its borders to foreign travellers in March after an American tourist was hospitalized with COVID-19. Bhutan’s 113 reported infections were all quarantined travellers, except for one with conflicting test results.

9:55 a.m. The coronavirus outbreak centred in Australia’s second-largest city showed a decline in new infections Thursday, though the state’s leader urged continued vigilance.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews says there were 278 new infections and eight new deaths, down from around 700 daily at the peak of the outbreak.

Daniels says the lower numbers indicate the lockdown restrictions in Melbourne are working but urged people to stay the course.

“We would just caution against any Victorian thinking that we aren’t in the midst of a real marathon,” Daniels said.

Meanwhile, neighbouring New South Wales state, which includes Australia’s largest city Sydney, recorded 12 new cases and one death.

9:55 a.m. The Seattle school board has voted unanimously to begin the academic year with only remote teaching.

The Seattle Times reports the state’s largest school district approved the plan Wednesday.

The remote learning plan passed with a wide-ranging amendment from school board members that directs the superintendent to explore creating outdoor classes. It also reinforces teaching of Black studies and curricula developed by Indigenous communities.

But the district’s plans are far from set because it is still bargaining with the teachers union. Those discussions will set the parameters for how teachers spend their time and for the support the district will provide in an online learning environment.

9:55 a.m. New locally transmitted cases of the coronavirus reported in China have fallen into the single digits, but Hong Kong is seeing another rise in hospitalizations and deaths.

China’s National Health Commission says eight new cases were registered in the last 24 hours in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, whose main city of Urumqi has enacted lockdown measures and travel restrictions. An additional 11 cases were brought by Chinese returning from overseas.

Hong Kong has 62 new cases, up from 33 on Wednesday, along with an additional five deaths.

The semi-autonomous southern Chinese city has required masks in all public settings and limited indoor dining, among other measures, to curb a new outbreak.

9:55 a.m. South Korea has reported 56 new cases of the coronavirus as clusters pop up in cities.

The figures announced by South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday brought the caseload to 14,770 infections, including 305 deaths. Forty-three of the new cases were from the Seoul area and two were from Busan, the country’s second-largest city, where infections have been reported at schools and among foreign cargo ship workers.

South Korean authorities have employed an aggressive test-and-quarantine campaign against COVID-19, using mobile-phone location data and credit-card records to trace contacts and smartphone tracking apps to monitor tens of thousands quarantined at home.

Visitors at nightclubs, baseball stadiums and other facilities deemed as “high-risk” must register with smartphone QR codes so they can be easily located when needed.

9:46 a.m. U.S. stocks wavered Thursday after data showed fewer Americans applied for jobless benefits, potentially signaling that the pace of recovery in the labour market is starting to pick up.

The S&P 500 edged down 0.3 per cent a day after the benchmark U.S. stock index climbed to a hair’s breadth from its first record close since the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite Index moved higher 0.3 per cent. Overseas, the pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 slipped 0.6 per cent.

Initial jobless claims fell to 963,000 in the week ended Aug. 7, ending a 20-week streak of results above 1 million. This compares with the previous week’s 1.186 million applications for unemployment benefits, indicating a moderate decline and coming below economists’ estimates of 1.1 million.

9:40 a.m. An Africa-wide study of antibodies to the coronavirus has begun, while evidence from a smaller study indicates that many more people have been infected than official numbers show, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

Experts are eager to know the real number of COVID-19 cases in Africa, as confirmed cases and deaths have been relatively low on the continent of 1.3 billion people. Poor data collection, however, has complicated efforts.

But recent surveys in Mozambique found antibodies — proteins the body makes when an infection occurs — to the virus in 5 per cent of households in the city of Nampula and 2.5 per cent in the city of Pemba. That’s while Mozambique has just 2,481 confirmed virus cases. Further studies are underway in the capital, Maputo, and the city of Quelimane.

“What is important is far fewer people are coming down with the disease,” Africa CDC director John Nkengasong told reporters. “How many people are infected and asymptomatic on our continent? We don’t know that.”

Africa’s young population, with a median age of 19, has been called a possible factor.

9:16 a.m. Mexico and Argentina have reached agreements to produce the U.K. drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc’s promising COVID-19 vaccine for Latin America, the nations’ governments said.

The countries will make 150 million to 250 million initial doses of the potential COVID-19 vaccine designed by scientists at the University of Oxford after the required trials, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez and Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said in messages on Twitter on Wednesday night. Billionaire Carlos Slim’s foundation is helping finance the plan, Ebrard said.

The goal is to produce the vaccine as of the first half of next year, and there will be no profits from it during the pandemic, Fernandez said in his statement following a meeting with representatives of AstraZeneca. His health minister said Argentina will prioritize getting the vaccine to the elderly, medical professionals and people with pre-existing conditions.

8:51 a.m. An additional $305 million to support Indigenous people during the COVID-19 pandemic will top up the Indigenous Community Support Fund first announced in late March.

Indigenous Services Canada Minister Marc Miller made the announcement yesterday, stressing that Indigenous people are among the most vulnerable in Canada, and during the pandemic, face unique challenges often exacerbated by social inequalities and systemic barriers.

The fund is part of the federal government’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan.

As with previous funding, it can be used to support elders and vulnerable community members, to address food insecurity, for educational and other supports for children, for mental-health assistance and for emergency response services and preparedness measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Further, Miller said Indigenous leaders, governments and organizations best know the needs of their people and are best placed to develop community-based solutions to respond to the challenges.

“It is a testament to Indigenous leadership and indeed Indigenous Peoples that community exposure to the virus has been limited,” Miller said.

8:09 a.m. (updated) Against the backdrop of a recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and saddled with a record budget deficit, Premier Doug Ford has resumed his campaign-style tour of the province.

“It’s bright and early, 6:30 a.m., and we’re off to Windsor, I just can’t wait to see the people of Windsor,” Ford enthused as he motored down Highway 401 on Thursday.

Windsor-Essex, which had been hit by coronavirus outbreaks among migrant farm workers, was the last region in Ontario to reopen its economy, entering Stage 3 on Wednesday, meaning restaurants and bars can offer indoor service and gyms and playgrounds can open.

That was the same day Finance Minister Rod Phillips delivered the sobering first quarterly financial results, confirming the province has been plunged into an economic recession by a virus that has killed more than 2,800 Ontarians since March.

Phillips said a deficit that had been forecast to be $20.5 billion in 2020-2021 — up from $9.2 billion last year — has jumped to $38.5 billion.

Pandemic relief efforts expected to cost $17 billion are now projected to exceed $30 billion, including a $9.6 billion contingency fund to cover things like schools reopening next month amid fears of a second wave of the virus.

Read the full story from the Star’s Robert Benzie

7:47 a.m. Fans will be allowed into MotoGP races for the first time this season, at the Misano circuit in Italy next month.

The region of Emilia Romagna has given the circuit permission to open to a maximum of 10,000 fans a day for the doubleheader of the San Marino and Emilia Romagna MotoGP rounds.

There will be strict measures in place to protect against the coronavirus, and fans will not be allowed to roam around.

The circuit has a capacity of around 110,000 including more than 40,000 in the stands and welcomed approximately 160,000 people across the three-day weekend last year.

Organizers say in a statement: “It is a decision that makes us emotional because it also represents a green light for the restart of world sport finally in front of the fans.”

The first three MotoGP rounds were held without fans and no spectators will be allowed into the upcoming doubleheader in Austria.

7:43 a.m. The TDSB is holding a webinar Thursday to discuss the safe re-opening of schools in September beginning at 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Families will learn more about the board’s “Safe Reopening of Schools.”

7:25 a.m. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Wednesday that the COVID-19 pandemic not only threatens gains in fighting global poverty and building peace but risks exacerbating existing conflicts and generating new ones.

The U.N. chief told a Security Council meeting on the challenge of sustaining peace during the pandemic that his March 23 call for an immediate cease-fire in conflicts around the world to tackle the coronavirus led a number of warring parties to take steps to de-escalate and stop fighting.

“Yet, regrettably, in many instances, the pandemic did not move the parties to suspend hostilities or agree to a permanent ceasefire,” Guterres said.

His predecessor as secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, told the council: “It is truly astonishing that in response to this pandemic, the world has placed billions of people under lock-down, closed international borders, suspended trade and migration, and temporarily shut down a whole variety of industries — but has not managed to suspend armed conflicts.”

Ban criticized the U.N. Security Council for wasting valuable months “in arguments over the details of the text” and not adopting a resolution until July 1 demanding an “immediate cessation of hostilities” in key conflicts including Syria, Yemen, Libya, South Sudan and Congo to tackle COVID-19.

“This has weakened the message that this council needs to send to all warring parties: now is the time to confront our common enemy,” Ban said.

And he said delayed council action “further aggravated the current volatile global security situations.”

7 a.m. Premier Doug Ford will meet with local leaders in Windsor-Essex today after the region entered Stage 3 of the province’s reopening plan on Wednesday.

Ford will spend the day in the city of Windsor and will meet with mayors from across the region to discuss economic recovery.

The premier is also set to tour the Ford Motor Company’s Essex Engine Plant.

A portion of the facility was retooled to produce plastic face shields for front-line workers during the pandemic.

Ford is also expected to hold his daily COVID-19 media briefing from Windsor alongside the province’s labour minister and associate transportation minister.

Windsor-Essex moved to Stage 3 on Wednesday after being held back because of COVID-19 outbreaks on local farms.

6:20 a.m. Researchers at Imperial College in London, England estimate that 6 per cent of England’s population — or 3.4 million people — have been infected by COVID-19, a figure far higher than previous findings.

The estimate is based on a study of 100,000 randomly selected volunteers who used home finger-prick tests to find antibodies for the virus that causes COVID-19.

The study, which covers infections through the end of June, found that London had the highest infection rate at 13%. Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups were two to three times more likely to have had COVID-19 than white people.

The nationwide estimate is much higher than the number of reported cases posted by Johns Hopkins University, the main reference for monitoring the disease. As of Thursday, it listed 270,971 cases throughout England.

5:22 a.m. New locally transmitted cases of the coronavirus reported in China have fallen into the single digits, but Hong Kong is seeing another rise in hospitalizations and deaths.

China’s National Health Commission said Thursday that eight new cases were registered in the last 24 hours in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, whose main city of Urumqi has enacted lockdown measures and travel restrictions. An additional 11 cases were brought by Chinese returning from overseas.

Hong Kong, meanwhile, has 62 new cases, up from 33 on Wednesday, along with an additional five deaths.

The semi-autonomous southern Chinese city has required masks be worn in all public settings and limited indoor dining among other measures to curb a new outbreak.

5:00 a.m. Toronto says it’s moved more than 1,500 homeless people into permanent housing since mid-March as it’s battled COVID-19 — a nearly 50 per cent increase over the same period last year.

But some outreach workers say that figure doesn’t fairly represent Toronto’s pandemic-specific response, since more than 40 per cent were already on waitlists before the virus hit, and the number reflects the total instead of this year’s COVID-specific increase.

While the city says it has moved 1,570 people into permanent housing since mid-March, using rent-to-geared-income (RGI) assistance and housing allowances, last year during the same time period it moved 1,050 people using the same programs, according to data provided to the Star.

Read more from reporter Victoria Gibson here.

4:45 a.m. German authorities worked through the night to clear a backlog of coronavirus tests from travellers after it emerged 900 people who were positive for COVID-19 had yet to be informed.

Bavarian Health Minister Melanie Huml said all people with positive results would be informed Thursday and that systems were being improved to prevent any further delays.

Bavaria has been offering free voluntary tests at airports, as well as specific train stations and highway rest areas, and has carried out some 85,000 since the end of July, Huml said.

Thursday 12:57 a.m. A puzzling new outbreak of the coronavirus in New Zealand’s largest city grew to 17 cases on Thursday, with officials saying the number will likely increase further.

And a lockdown in Auckland designed to extinguish the outbreak could be extended well beyond an initial three days.

It was a turnabout from Sunday, when the South Pacific nation of 5 million marked 100 days without any cases of local transmission. For most people, life had long returned to normal as they sat down in packed sports stadiums and restaurants or went to school without the fear of getting infected.

The only cases for months had been a handful of returning travellers who have been quarantined at the border. But then earlier this week, health workers discovered four infections in one Auckland household.

The source of the new infections continues to stump officials. Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said genome testing has not yet matched the new cluster with any infections that have been caught at the border, although the testing has indicated the strain of the virus may have come from Australia or Britain.

New Zealand first eliminated community transmission of the virus by imposing a strict lockdown in late March when only about 100 people had tested positive for the disease.

Read more of Wednesday’s coverage here.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/08/10/sick-kids-covid-19-back-to-school-dry-run-draws-backlash-over-plan-to-use-private-schools.html?li_source=LI&li_medium=thestar_recommended_for_you

Sick Kids’ COVID-19 back-to-school dry run draws backlash over plan to use private schools

May Warren

By May Warren Staff Reporter

Mon., Aug. 10, 2020timer4 min. read

Before millions of students head back to school in a few weeks, experts at the Hospital for Sick Children will hold a much smaller dress rehearsal, hoping the lessons learned can help prepare for the real thing.

But the study is facing some backlash for being conducted at private schools, with some questioning whether it can replicate reality in the majority of classrooms across the province.

The COVID-19 Safe School Simulation will be held Aug. 19-20 in Toronto, by researchers who will examine mask use, as well as physical distancing and hand hygiene.

“It’s really trying to get a dry run of what schools are going to look like,” said Dr. Michelle Science, an infectious diseases specialist and co-principal investigator of the study, which is funded entirely by Sick Kids.

“We really recognize that everyone has a great deal of uncertainty about the return to school and we wanted to help reduce some of this uncertainty by generating evidence.”

The research team is particularly interested in looking at mask use, which will be mandatory for kids in Ontario starting in Grade 4. Researchers will film the students taking part in the study to see how they interact, destroying the film after the study wraps up. They will also use a harmless liquid that will only be visible under a special light to mimic how the virus might spread on surfaces across the classroom, replicate symptom screening, staggered schedules and physical distancing.

All participants will be tested for COVID-19 in the 24-48 hours before the simulation, and asked to quarantine after they get tested.

They’re hoping to get 240 students and 12 to 14 teachers to participate, from junior kindergarten through high school. The simulation will be held at The Bishop Strachan School and Upper Canada College. Branksome Hall and The Sterling Hall School will help with recruitment.

Organizers don’t yet know the ratio of teacher to students — it will depend on how many volunteers they get, Science said.

Class size has been a contentious issue in Ontario, with 30 students potentially in one classroom.

On Monday, the Toronto District School Board — the province’s largest — released its back to school plans. The board is also sending out a survey to parents this week asking if they plan to put their kids back in school with regular class sizes, or if they would consider doing so with smaller classes if there was provincial funding available for that.

It’s something Stephanie Davila, an elementary music teacher with the Toronto Catholic District School Board, is concerned about. She fears the study won’t have the kind of class sizes she will have to contend with come September.

“The reality of my teaching is not going to be reflected and it’s not going to be something that I’m going to look to or to reference,” said Davila, one of dozens of people on social media who called out Sick Kids on the study.

She’s also worried about the fact kids who need extra support in the classroom can’t participate, and that the results won’t reflect their needs.

Lara Donsky, a special education inclusion consultant at TDSB, said she worries the students in the study would skew privileged, as it’s being conducted at private schools. It is open to other students, and the researchers are recruiting through social media, “but there’s an equity issue,” she said.

Areas where there have been high concentrations of COVID-19, the northwest corner in Toronto, for example, have parents and kids with different circumstances, and it’s important that those kids are reflected in studies that will be used to make decisions about reopening, she added.

Donsky and others on social media noted that older public schools often have poor ventilation, some classrooms don’t even have windows that could be opened to help get fresh air in — a critical part of reducing transmission of COVID.

“If you want to use private schools fine, but balance it out with the public school system,” Donsky said.

Science said while recruitment for public school kids will be mainly over social media, she hopes parents and teachers will reach out through the email schoolsim.study@sickkids.ca.

“We are trying to recruit broadly,” she said.

“The study is really open to any GTA student who is enrolled in public or other independent schools who meet the criteria, and we’re also wanting to have teachers from both private and public schools.”

The private schools were the ones that offered the space on such a tight timeline, she said, but public school teachers have been involved in helping to set up the study. The team recognizes the “important differences” between private and public schools, but this study will look more at behaviours and not physical classrooms.

“We really needed to use space that was available to us to help ensure that we can get the results out to the public as soon as possible,” she said.

“We do realize that it is a short turnaround to conduct the study and so outreach to all of the communities might be limited.”

Due to the tight timeline, the study organizers were unable to include kids with special needs but hope this limitation can be addressed in future studies, working with the public school system.

“It is a starting point and we really hope to build on it,” Science added.

May Warren

May Warren is a Toronto-based breaking news reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @maywarren11

https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2020/08/13/ontario-government-announces-extra-funding-for-schools-covid-costs.html

Ontario government announces extra funding for schools’ COVID costs

Kristin Rushowy

By Kristin Rushowy Queen's Park Bureau

Thu., Aug. 13, 2020timer1 min. read

The Ontario government has announced new funding for schools to cover their COVID costs, including $50 million for ventilation systems, $18 million in supports for online learning and is allowing boards to dip further into their reserves to hire extra staff.

The province is also mandating that students who opt for online learning this fall, and those who are in designated areas where teens are studying part-time at home, 75 per cent of it must be live video conferencing or “synchronous.”

The government has previously announced $309 million for staffing and personal protective equipment, among other needs, to help boards cope with COVID-19.

Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca, who was in Windsor on Thursday, said Premier Doug Ford “has already told local school boards they have to dip into their reserve funds” during the pandemic, and called on the government to hire teachers, custodians and provide proper resources so schools can safely reopen.

A growing number of groups, experts and teacher unions are calling for the province to delay the start of the school year. British Columbia recently decided to provide two days of “orientation” for teachers to prepare for their return, delaying the start of classes.

Kristin Rushowy

Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy

https://www.thestar.com/podcasts/thismatters/2020/08/12/schools-are-the-best-place-for-kids-mental-health-not-so-fast.html

Schools are the best place for kids’ mental health? Not so fast

By Star staff

Wed., Aug. 12, 2020timer1 min. read

Schools across Canada are set to reopen in September. What that will look like and what safety procedures are in place will differ — at times, greatly — depending on where you live. In Ontario, masks will be enforced among students Grade 4 through 12 but class sizes will not be reduced. British Columbia is taking a phased-in approach and other provinces like Saskatchewan are leaving it up to individual school boards on what their policy for masks will be.

Inevitably, in the debate over how to reopen schools, the health and safety of students is mentioned as being the biggest priority. And there are worries over possible COVID-19 outbreaks in schools, similar to the U.S. and Israel, which reopened schools quickly.

But what about the mental health of students? What kind of pressure are kids under, being indoors for hours at a time, in the middle of a pandemic? And the belief that schools are the safest place for kids is not the lived reality for many students who faced problems even before the pandemic.

Dr. Tyler Black, child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of British Columbia talks to Adrian Cheung on the mental stress of reopening schools and why the pandemic is the moment to reshape and rethink how education works in Canada.

Listen to this episode and more at This Matters, or subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2020/08/11/ontario-teachers-unions-consider-legal-challenges-over-class-sizes.html

Ontario teachers’ unions consider legal challenges over class sizes

By Kristin Rushowy Queen's Park Bureau

Tue., Aug. 11, 2020timer4 min. read

The unions representing Ontario’s teachers are calling on the provincial government to change its back-to-school plans and are warning a legal challenge is possible.

“We are consulting with legal counsel, absolutely,” said Liz Stuart, president of the 45,000-member Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, which continues to advocate for smaller class sizes and masks for all students.

“The best thing to find out at this point is to see what we can do in order to fight to keep our members safe.”

Sam Hammond, who heads the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario — the country’s largest teachers’ union — said his members will use the next couple of weeks “to try and push those issues to get the government to step forward” and address teachers’ and parents’ concerns.

But if the government doesn’t budge, his union executive is meeting later this week and “if they continue to have the concerns that they’ve had since the plan was released, then certainly we’ll look at all of our options to take a stand to get the attention of the government to make change.”

While ETFO is not officially calling for a delay to the start of the school year, “I think the government needs to look at all the options,” Hammond said. “If we had the luxury of another month, we’d certainly be in a very different place.”

Local unions have talked about launching grievances or legal challenges, and Stuart said the labour board is a possibility.

In the United States — where cases in many states have hit record highs — one teachers’ union in Florida is seeking a court injunction to force all classes online until COVID-19 numbers have subsided.

The American Teachers’ Federation has said it supports strikes if local units don’t feel the reopening conditions are safe enough to protect members.

Ontario’s back-to-school plan includes mandatory masks for students starting in Grade 4 — the only province in Canada to require them throughout the school day — as well as improved hand hygiene and school cleaning and smaller classes for high school students in large, urban boards.

However, in elementary schools, classes sizes will remain unchanged, meaning children in kindergarten and Grades 4 through 8 could be in rooms with 30 students.

The province has said it will provide $30 million to help shrink class sizes if classes are too large. That amount would fund roughly 300 teachers.

The Toronto public board alone has said it would need at least 200 extra elementary teachers if class sizes were to be reduced to 15.

The province is also hiring 500 public health nurses, or about one for every 10 schools, to help with COVID and also random testing of high school students.

Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday that Ontario is “doing everything we can ... we have the best plan in Canada. People from other provinces want our plan, and we’re going to do everything we can and I’m not going to spare a penny and I’m not going to spare anything making sure that we have the safest classrooms in the country.”

Ontario, he added, has “the smallest classroom sizes in the entire country, bar none. We have more protocols and guidelines than any other jurisdiction” in Canada, and noted his government is so far spending more than $309 million, which is more per pupil than other provinces.

But NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who visited Kingston on Tuesday, called the province’s announcement “a bargain basement plan that really pinches pennies on the backs of our kids” and urged the province to hire thousands of teachers.

Alexandra Adamo, spokesperson for Education Minister Stephen Lecce, said the government has “engaged in discussions with multiple unions with the singular goal of ensuring the safest and healthiest school environment for all students and staff” and is willing to continue talks.

Hammond said smaller class sizes were a key part of recommendations made by experts from Sick Kids, advice the government chose to ignore. He’s advocating for elementary classes to have about 15 students, or close to that number.

From politics to policing, hospitals to housing, we report on the issues that affect us all. We hold the powerful accountable and help create a Canada that works for every one of us.

He also said masks, proper ventilation in schools and busing remain huge safety issues.

Harvey Bischof, of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, said his union “is consulting with counsel now and have been for some time ... We just want to ensure that we are aware of, and maximize the use of, any legal strategy required to keep our members safe.”

Bischof said his union hasn’t landed on what it’s strategy will be, but added that “I’ve seen no evidence so far that this government is listening to us and our concerns.”

Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy

https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2020/08/12/as-bc-delays-start-of-school-year-ontario-is-urged-to-follow-suit.html

As B.C. delays start of school year, Ontario is urged to follow suit

By Kristin Rushowy Queen's Park Bureau

Wanyee Li Vancouver Bureau

Wed., Aug. 12, 2020timer4 min. read

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Go slow.

The Ontario government is now facing growing calls from teachers’ unions, advocacy groups and health experts to delay or phase-in the start of school this fall amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19 if all two million students return to class at once.

In British Columbia, the government has announced teachers will now have until Sept. 10 — an extra two days — to prepare their classrooms for students.

It’s part of what the B.C. government is calling an “orientation week” for students and teachers, with staff members meeting on Sept. 8 to discuss how the health guidelines will work in their school.

Experts say Ontario would be wise to follow B.C.’s lead.

Dr. Anna Banerji, a pediatrician and infectious disease expert at the University of Toronto, thinks a delay to school reopenings “would be a very good idea across the country.”

Even just a couple of days, as B.C. has done, would give teachers a chance to problem-solve and look at implementing simple but effective measures, Banerji said, such as drawing arrows on the ground to create one-direction pathways, or rearranging larger spaces like gyms and auditoriums to create more classrooms.

Some have called for an even longer delay to the start of the school year, suggesting classes begin later in the fall or even in January. Banerji says creating an orientation week, and giving teachers an extra two days before students arrive, is a smart balance.

“We could wait until a couple years until the pandemic is gone and we have a vaccine, but I think people are suffering and children are suffering,” she said. “Waiting until January makes it very difficult for a lot of families and children.”

But some education experts say a gradual return, drawn out over days or even weeks, would be the best approach.

“It is understandable that there is an urgent quest for some forms of normalcy, including the reopening of schools,” says a paper released by University of Toronto education professor Carol Campbell and Ryerson professor Beverly-Jean Daniel, Annie Kidder of People for Education, and education researcher Ruth Baumann.

“However, these are not normal times and we cannot simply return to the old status quo. We urge that as well as a safe return to school, we need a gentle return to the upcoming school year. We need to go slow.”

While each board could do this differently, and “while we all want to see children returning to attending school five days a week when it is safe and possible to do so, there is no compelling reason for having every student return on the very first day,” says the paper.

“Ontario schools have often done staggered re-entries in the past” and other countries have also used it to reopen after getting past the first wave of COVID-19, including Denmark and Germany.

The paper suggests that younger students could go in first as older students gradually return; in high schools, Grade 9 students could begin classes first since they missed out on orientation after schools were shut down in March, or start with Grade 12 students to ensure they get in as much instructional time as possible before graduation.

The province has mandated that all students wear masks, all day, starting in Grade 4, and that high school students in larger urban boards will be in classes of 15 and only attend part time. Concerns have been raised about elementary class sizes, which will remain unchanged.

The government is providing boards more than $309 million on COVID-related costs, including hiring 500 public health nurses for schools.

Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday that he’d be “flexible” when he was asked about delaying the start of the school year.

“We have to be able to sit down and listen to everyone, and that's what we're doing,” Ford said. “We have to be flexible when it comes to education and protecting the kids.”

The premier also said he wants to work with teachers’ unions, to “sit down and listen,” and put aside any differences.

But critics warn that with just a couple of weeks to go before school starts, time is running out.

“We must consider delaying the start of back to school in order to give school boards more time and more resources to deliver a safe return,” said Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca. “Most school boards need more time and more provincial investment to get class sizes down.”

In British Columbia, Education Minister Rob Fleming noted that schools are going to look different in September. “Staff, students and parents need time to get familiar with all the new health and safety procedures that are designed to keep them safe and confident in their school settings,” Fleming said.

B.C.’s teachers’ union says the two-day delay is a “reasonable” approach.

“I think a couple of days right now is a good start,” said Teri Morring, president of the B.C. Teachers Federation. “There will need to be time throughout the school year dedicated to health and safety training.”

B.C. school boards can ask students to arrive at school earlier but are required to have students in classrooms by Sept. 10, when “students will be assigned to their class, find out who is in their learning group, practise their new routines and familiarize themselves with how to safely move from the class to outdoor and common areas of the school, according to a government news release.

Kristin Rushowy

Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy

Wanyee Li

Wanyee Li is a Vancouver-based reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @wanyeelii

https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2020/08/10/toronto-board-wants-to-know-what-parents-think-as-it-pushes-province-to-change-back-to-school-policies.html

Toronto board wants to know what parents think as it pushes province to change back-to-school policies

By Kristin Rushowy Queen's Park Bureau

Mon., Aug. 10, 2020timer3 min. read

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Toronto families will be asked if they intend to send their children back to school with regular-sized classes, and if they would consider doing so if classes were smaller — should the province provide funding to make that happen.

Those questions will go out to parents starting Tuesday as the Toronto District School Board pushes the provincial government to change its back-to-school plans.

School board trustees will be voting this week on a motion to ask that masks be made mandatory students in junior kindergarten to Grade 3 — not just for older students, as is currently planned — in a bid to allay concerns raised by parents and teachers.

They will also consider a proposal seeking funding from the province for more teachers, as well as money to improve ventilation in buildings and to make sure all washrooms have touchless handwashing stations, among other items.

“I am moving the mask requirement because public health agencies agree that children over two years should wear masks indoors, and when social distancing is not available,” said Beaches-East York Trustee Michelle Aarts, noting that Toronto bylaws mandate masks in indoor spaces.

“We want to start from a position of ‘an abundance of caution,’ with proper education, training, options, and flexibility for different age groups, and then revise protocols as needed,” she said.

Aarts added that her youngest child is seven years old, and attends “an overcapacity school of over 1,000 students,” while another child has health issues.

“Masks in schools are a minimum requirement for me to choose to send my youngest back to school,” she said.

Like boards across the province, the TDSB is now trying to gauge parents’ interest in having their children return to the classroom as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Families must decide if they want to send their children to school full-time, or prefer remote learning at home. All boards are warning that if parents change their minds after choosing the online option, their children could be put on a wait-list.

High school students in large, urban boards will have the chance to switch from in-person to at-home learning between “quadmesters.”

The government has mandated masks for students starting in Grade 4, and also set high school class sizes at 15 students in the larger boards. Elementary class sizes will remain as they were, which had meant up to 30 students in a classroom.

The province is providing about $30 million to the Ontario’s 72 boards to hire additional teachers. It is also hiring 500 public health nurses, in part to assist with random COVID-19 testing in high schools.

The government is spending more than $309 million on education costs related to COVID-19, which Premier Doug Ford has said will result in the highest per-student expenditure of any province.

Experts at Sick Kids and other children’s hospitals, however, have said that smaller classes are critical to the safe return, along with physical distancing and good hand hygiene.

On Monday, Ford said he’s confident about the fall restart, “but to say I’m confident no one’s going to catch the virus — it’s just not realistic with two million (students) going back into the system, 160,000 teachers. But I do believe we have the best plan in the entire country.”

Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the government is doing everything it can to “de-risk” the return to classrooms. “We’re doing everything we can to follow the evidence, the science and the emerging advice of our public health agencies, to put in layers of prevention,” Lecce said.

In a letter to Ford, Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca called on the premier to keep class sizes small. His party has calculated that the government needs to spend $3.2 billion to hire enough teachers, caretakers and to ensure student and staff safety.

Del Duca also said the province could consider delaying the start of the school year “to ensure that we get it right. This can be done using the same regional approach that’s been used for the reopening of our economy, recognizing that a one-size-fits-all plan may not be advisable.”

The TDSB has said many of it schools are older and have small classrooms, so it will be difficult to enforce physical distancing if classes remain at their current size.

Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-public-private-high-schools-1.5681446

Edmonton

Alberta government considers public-private partnerships for 5 high school builds

Social Sharing

School divisions say high school space urgently needed

Janet French · CBC News · Posted: Aug 11, 2020 6:00 AM MT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Alberta Infrastructure Minister Prasad Panda's department is studying whether a group of five new high schools should be built and maintained as public-private partnerships. (Prasad Panda campaign)

Five new Alberta high schools could be built and maintained as public-private partnerships (P3s), according to the provincial infrastructure department.

Alberta Infrastructure is exploring whether it can save money by engaging a private company to assume the risks of constructing and owning a bundle of new high schools in Edmonton, Leduc, Blackfalds and Langdon.

Together, the projects would be worth more than $200 million and accommodate more than 6,000 students.

"P3s have been successfully used to deliver school projects and have demonstrated value for money when compared to traditional delivery methods," said Hadyn Place, press secretary to Infrastructure Minister Prasad Panda, in an email last month.

However, P3 construction projects can be controversial. Edmonton school boards have previously struggled with flooded and muddy school yards they were powerless to fix and boiling classrooms in which the temperature could only be controlled by calling someone in Toronto.

Some critics say P3 contracts look cheaper up front but cost more in the long run as governments make payments over decades.

Last year, the Alberta government explored building five new elementary-junior high schools as P3s. Panda later changed his mind, saying government would fund the construction to create jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former Progressive Conservative governments built approximately 40 P3 schools in Alberta.

High school space an urgent need

Five projects that the government promised to fund in April 2020 are part of a bundle of builds that could be P3s. They include:

A public high school in Edmonton's Meadows area for 2,400 students, at a cost of at least $81 million.
A Catholic high school in Edmonton's Heritage Valley for 1,300 students, at an estimated cost of $52 million.
A $47-million public high school in Leduc with an opening capacity of 1,000 students and the possibility of future additions.
The first public high school in Blackfalds, for 970 students in Grades 9-12, at a cost of $29 million.
A public Grade 7-12 school for Langdon, in Rocky View school division, for 900 students. An estimated cost was unavailable.

Construction is expected to start on the schools in 2021, and they should be open for students by September 2024.

Although the infrastructure minister has not yet made a decision, several school divisions have been told to plan as if the schools will be P3s.

High schools in suburban Edmonton, as well as bedroom communities in Edmonton and Calgary, are running out of room as a demographic bulge of children approach their teen years. (Reuters/Vincent Kessler)

Spokespeople for several school divisions said the need for more space is so dire, they're less concerned with how the construction is funded.

John Fiacco, Edmonton Catholic Schools' superintendent of educational planning, said Monday that two Catholic high schools in south Edmonton are already full. A demographic bulge of students has also filled K-9 schools in the south beyond capacity. Fiacco said they'll need somewhere to go.

"Our push is to get spaces for students to learn," he said. "And whether it comes through a P3 model or driven by the province, we just want to work with whatever construct is given to us in order to make this happen."

Growth continues despite pandemic

The residents of Langdon, which is 35 kilometres east of Calgary, have been advocating for a local high school for years, said Greg Luterbach, superintendent of Rocky View Schools, last week.

High school students ride the bus about 12 km to Chestermere, where the public high school is also nearly full, he said. Both communities are growing.

Although Luterbach is happy to have the new high school on the way, he wonders how a P3 arrangement could affect the potential to partner with the local county to potentially build a shared community facility with the school.

In Leduc, 33 km south of Edmonton, the high school is bursting at 110 per cent capacity, Black Gold school division superintendent Bill Romanchuk said last week.

A long-term maintenance contract for P3 schools is what worries division leaders, he said. Simple repairs like a paint touch-up or repaired hole in the wall must all go through a third-party contractor, which is more expensive than division employees doing the repairs themselves, he said.

"We're not going to bite the hand that feeds us," he said. "We've expressed our preferences to Alberta Infrastructure and our MLA. We're getting a new school and we're happy about that."

An Amazon warehouse and supply operations coming to Leduc is expected to create at least 5,000 jobs and will likely bring an even larger influx of students, he said.

Edmonton Public School Board chair Trisha Estabrooks says growth remains the school division's biggest challenge, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. (Trevor Wilson/CBC)

Edmonton Public Schools is also "desperate" for more high schools, chair Trisha Estabrooks said Monday.

She thinks her division is best placed to manage school construction projects efficiently. Although some previous P3 builds were successful, others had "significant problems" once they were open, she said.

"I think about situations where small changes are needed within the school and there's a big hullabaloo to get it changed in the P3 contract," she said. "There's concerns about maintenance work not being done in a timely fashion."

Estabrooks acknowledged that the United Conservative Party government campaigned on more P3 infrastructure projects, and she said parents with kids in crowded schools likely care most about whether there's space for their teens.

"At the end of the day, we need schools, and we need them built as quickly as possible."

About the Author

Janet French

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-yes-your-kids-should-go-back-to-school-yes-it-can-be-done-safely/

Opinion

Yes, your kids should go back to school. Yes, it can be done safely

The Editorial Board

Published 13 hours ago

In normal times, it’s the kids who get anxious about their first day of school. Today, as September approaches, parents across the country are the ones with knots in their stomachs, worried that the return to the classroom will pose a health risk to their children, but also worried that keeping them home could be harmful to their well-being in other, possibly more serious, ways.

Closing schools as part of the country’s first response to the COVID-19 pandemic was necessary and reasonable at the time. But it has come at a price. School closings have “significant adverse health and welfare consequences for children and youth,” according to a report from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Those adverse effects include setbacks to children’s educational, emotional, social and physical development caused by their absence from the classroom.

The downsides also include increased rates of depression and anxiety in children, as well as higher suicide rates, the SickKids report says. More than half the parents surveyed in a recent Ontario study cited by SickKids said they had seen “drastic changes in mood, behaviour and personality” in their children since schools were closed.

As well, the SickKids report said the stresses on parents caused by the economic shutdown – unemployment, financial insecurity, precarious housing – can trickle down and result in maltreatment. Bonnie Henry, the Provincial Health Officer for British Columbia, says schools are a “safe space” for some at-risk children – a front line for their health care and sometimes the only place they get a decent meal.

It’s for the sake of children’s welfare and health – and not simply because reopening schools would make life easier for working parents – that SickKids, as well as other public-health experts, support a return to the classroom this fall, as long as the necessary precautions are taken.

Parents are understandably nervous. There are no absolutes when it comes to preventing the spread of COVID-19 – other than self-isolation and virtual learning, that is, and those are not the best choices.

On balance, the best choice is a cautious return to school, a decision based on three critical factors.

First, the state of COVID-19 in Canada. For now, the disease is under control. Outside of clusters that occur as the result of identifiable events, such as ill-advised house parties, there is relatively little community transmission in this country.

Second, the limited effects of the disease on young people. Children, especially teens, may be able to act as vectors to spread the disease to adults and that is an area of concern. But since the start of the pandemic, only one Canadian under the age of 20 has died from COVID-19 and only 26 have been admitted to an intensive-care unit. In 2018, car accidents killed 179 young Canadians and sent nearly 1,200 to hospital.

And third, vigilance works. Physical distancing, regular hand-washing and wearing a mask can prevent the spread of COVID-19, if enough people do it.

Israel has been cited recently as an example of the dangers of reopening classes, when a large outbreak occurred 10 days after schools returned. But on closer inspection, the outbreak happened because students went to class with symptoms, the classes were large and overcrowded, with 35 students and up, and a heat wave meant wearing masks wasn’t feasible.

In other countries, such as Finland and Sweden, schools that enforce physical distancing and other measures have reopened without major incident.

In Germany and the United States, students went back to school this week in large numbers, with different rules in different states. It remains to be seen how it plays out in each country.

But for Canadians, the bottom line is twofold: Schools need to reopen for the sake of children’s long-term well-being; there’s credible evidence to believe it can be done safely, as long as the proper precautions are in place.

It will not be perfect. There will be outbreaks. But Canada has successfully reduced its rate of transmission by following the evolving science and the advice of public-health experts. This is not the time to stop. Based on everything we currently know about COVID-19 and about the effects of the lockdown on children, sending kids back to school this fall is the right thing to do.

As long as it’s done properly, of course. We’ll write more about that later this week.

Keep your Opinions sharp and informed. Get the Opinion newsletter. Sign up today.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-clear-back-to-school-guidelines-are-needed-to-ease-parental-angst/

OPINION

Clear back-to-school guidelines are needed to ease parental angst

ANDRÉ PICARD

PUBLISHED AUGUST 10, 2020 UPDATED 59 MINUTES AGO

There is no perfect way to reopen schools, but there is certainly a wrong way: dithering and prevaricating about back-to-school plans and driving parents out of their minds with worry, fear and guilt.

More than 5.5 million Canadian students are slated to return to classes within weeks.

Political, educational and public-health leaders need to announce clear plans, however imperfect, for doing so as safely and smartly as possible.

Not in a week. Not in two weeks. Now.

Just as importantly, they need to assuage the concerns of parents.

Schooling has to be a priority. We can do it safely by learning from the successes and failures of other countries.

Children are not being dispatched to the fiery pits of hell. If we do this correctly, they are going be better off in school than they are now, wallowing in isolation and/or mingling in an indiscriminate manner.

In school, kids are going to learn, be with their friends, socialize and play – and they’re going to do so in a controlled environment.

What parents need to know is exactly what that environment will look like. It’s not going to be – or at least it shouldn’t be – the classrooms of yore, with 30 kids shoehorned into a room and moving about en masse.

Physical distancing is the single most important public-health measure we have to protect ourselves against the novel coronavirus. To allow children to be two metres apart, there should be no more than 15 students assigned to a typically sized classroom.

We can and should make that happen, instead of debating it ad nauseam.

Schedules should be managed so that each group limits its interactions with other groups. For example: implementing staggered lunch hours instead of having everyone eat in the cafeteria at once. Large group activities, such as high-school sports, should be kept to a minimum.

Cohorts (or bubbles if you prefer) of 15 are also practical because if there is an infection detected, you can quarantine a small group rather than an entire school.

Digital learning can supplement or replace classes for those who opt out of in-class attendance. Special attention should be paid to accommodate those with learning disabilities.

Elementary and high-school students should wear masks. Currently, the rules on this are all over the map. The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends everyone 10 and up should be masked; that’s as good a cutoff as any. Teachers should wear face shields and, with older students, masks, too.

We also have to pay attention to air quality. Classes should be outdoors whenever possible. Open windows are an alternative. HVAC filters should be updated and air purifiers are helpful, too.

Book-length guidelines, such as the Harvard School of Public Health’s excellent Schools For Health publication, are useful for experts, but parents need this guidance in digestible bites: Your child will be in a class of 15, with good ventilation, wearing a mask.

Clearly stated rules such as these would provide a relatively safe learning environment and, hopefully, calm some parental angst.

Schools do not exist in a vacuum. The best way to keep kids (and everyone else) safe is to ensure the virus is circulating as little as possible.

Benchmarks can and should be set.

In parts of the United States, such as New York State, officials have determined that if the positivity rate of coronavirus tests is less than 5 per cent, in-person instruction can resume. (In Canada, the positivity rate is 2.5 per cent since the beginning of the pandemic, but currently about 0.5 per cent.)

Another benchmark to aim for is less than one case of coronavirus for every 100,000, which indicates little community transmission. Practically speaking, that would mean, for example, reporting fewer than 150 new cases a day in Ontario. (On Monday, the province reported 115 new cases.)

We also have to keep the risk of kids returning to school in perspective. Yes, the coronavirus is new and it’s scary, but it pales in comparison to other risks. The single biggest danger in a Canadian child’s life is getting into a car.

Parents cannot rationally argue, “My kid won’t go back to school because it’s too dangerous,” and then turn around and drive off on a family camping trip.

We are concerned – obsessed, even – with making schools safe, and that’s good. But we have to concern ourselves with what children will be doing if they’re not in school.

Very few of them will be bubble-wrapped in the basement. Nor should they be. But they can and should be learning and growing in social bubbles at school.

FOLLOW ANDRÉ PICARD ON TWITTER @PICARDONHEALTH

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/london-areas-encouraging-covid-19-caseload-a-good-springboard-as-school-nears/wcm/a787f434-c4ae-4f27-b0af-7ecdbe7add74/

London-area's encouraging COVID-19 caseload 'a good springboard' as school nears

As parents fret and teachers sweat about the return to school – just weeks away in Ontario – doctors say low COVID-19 numbers are a good signal to get London and area kids back in class.

Author of the article:

Megan Stacey

Publishing date:

Aug 10, 2020 • Last Updated 11 hours ago • 3 minute read

Dr. Mario Elia (Mike Hensen/The London Free Press)

As parents fret and teachers sweat about the return to school – just weeks away in Ontario – doctors say low COVID-19 numbers are a good signal to get London and area kids back in class.

One new coronavirus infection was announced this weekend, bringing the total caseload so far in London and Middlesex County to 683, with 20 of those cases still active. It’s become an encouraging pattern, save for a rare day or two, for local officials to report zero or just one new case each day.

London-area's encouraging COVID-19 caseload 'a good springboard' as school nears

“Our numbers couldn’t possibly be at a better place right now,” said Dr. Mario Elia, a family physician in southwest London and an adjunct professor in Western University’s family medicine department.

He credited a strong willingness from the public to keep distance from others, wear masks, and keep up other public health recommendations, like frequent and thorough hand washing.

“My hope is that we can keep this momentum going, with low community spread . . . as long as everyone keeps doing what we’re doing, there’s no reason we shouldn’t have a good springboard to start school.”

Elia said the return to classrooms – where schoolkids, teachers, and staff will inevitably come into close contact with many other people – is the top COVID-19 question he’s hearing from patients.

Despite the anxiety, public health officials say London and Middlesex County is in a good place for back-to-school.

“The numbers are as low since we’ve seen since the start of this (pandemic),” said Dr. Alex Summers, the region’s associate medical officer of health, calling those statistics “reassuring.”

They’ve stayed low in the three weeks since London entered the third phase of re-opening, too, welcoming customers back inside restaurants, bars, fitness facilities and other indoor spaces.

Ontario has also seen promising numbers lately, with fewer than 100 new cases each day for a week.

“This is probably the best time to think about the return to school, knowing that we’ve made such wonderful progress and school is such an important part of children’s development,” Summers said, though he added that he understands parents will still “be fretful” about the transition.

The good news is that kids tend to fare well if they get COVID-19, Summers said.

Both Elia and Summers said families should think about how to limit contact with others outside school. The fall will bring cooler weather, which may put an end to the safer, outdoor gatherings people have been enjoying for months.

Now is the time to get in those hugs and kisses with grandparents, Elia said.

“I’m telling all my patients, if their kids are going back to school – which in the majority of cases I think is appropriate – that they’re careful their social bubble does not include those who are high-risk, that being seniors and those with medical conditions,” he said.

It’s best to keep two metres away from older folks and those with compromised immune systems whenever possible once kids are back in class, “an environment where their bubble is suddenly going to expand to 100 people or more,” Elia said.

He’s still hoping to see smaller class sizes, especially for the benefit of teacher and staff health, when schools re-open.

The risk hasn’t gone away, even with numbers this low. Community spread is still happening, Summers stressed.

“It’s not rampant, by any means, but it’s still out there,” he said. “We’re not at stage normal.”

mstacey@postmedia.com

twitter.com/MeganatLFPress

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-elementary-class-sizes-covid-19-1.5679764?ref=mobilerss&cmp=newsletter_CBC%20Toronto_1642_85512

Toronto

Ontario's largest school board commits to shrinking elementary class sizes in areas hit hardest by COVID-19

Social Sharing

TDSB banking on funds promised by province to hire more staff, trustee Parthi Kandavel says

Kelda Yuen, Desmond Brown · CBC News · Posted: Aug 08, 2020 8:46 PM ET | Last Updated: August 10

TDSB trustee Parthi Kandavel says certain Toronto neighborhoods have been disproportionately hit by COVID-19. (CBC)

A Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustee says the province's largest school board will prioritize shrinking elementary class sizes in neighbourhoods hit hardest by COVID-19.

On Friday, Education Minister Stephen Lecce pointed to a number of new investments and policies for school boards announced by the province — among them, $30 million to hire more staff to decrease elementary class sizes whenever possible.

TDSB trustee Parthi Kandavel said the board will be submitting an application for that funding; and while he's not sure if the funds will be distributed by population or by need, they're asking for as much as possible to be given to the Toronto District School Board.

"[Toronto] is disproportionately hit, and certain neighbourhoods … are hit the hardest," Kandavel, who represents Ward 18, Scarborough Southwest, told CBC News.

"We need to address that to ensure the safety of our teachers and of course our students and families.

"The bulk of what we're counting on for the strategy of reducing class sizes in hardest-hit neighbourhoods, will come down to that provincial fund that's been set up," Kandavel added.

Premier, education minister defend Ontario's back-to-school plan amid class size concerns

Toronto Public Health urges city's largest school board to keep class sizes down

In Ontario, there are no cap sizes for kindergarten and classes in Grades 4 through 8, only a maximum average of 24.5 across each board. That means it's not uncommon for children in high enrolment school boards to find themselves in classes of 30 or more students.

Just over a week ago, Toronto Public Health released startling data showing that Black people or other people of colour made up 83 per cent of all confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city outside of long-term care homes. Previously, the city identified neighbourhoods that have been hit hardest by the novel coronavirus.

In the aftermath, city leaders have called for short-term improvements — like more targeted testing and public awareness campaigns — to better help those most at risk.

However it's unclear how the data is guiding Ontario's back-to-school plan.

"I'm hopeful [Lecce will] understand that there's such an intersection between geography and race, and who lives in these neighbourhoods; and this will hopefully inform their decision to fund Toronto appropriately to [address] these hardest-hit neighbourhoods," Kandavel said.

We are going to place those teachers in those hot spots to reduce class sizes.

- Parthi Kandavel -TDSB trustee

Kandavel pointed to Woburn — the eighth most-hit neighbourhood in Toronto — that he said would be given priority in the placement of extra teachers.

He also highlighted other areas "like the Jane and Keele corridor, and in the northwest, there's Rexdale."

Many of these harder-hit neighbourhoods are home to higher proportions of crowded multi-unit residences and essential front-line workers.

"The plan is — granted we are given the additional funding from the province, which I suspect will happen — we are going to place those teachers in those hot spots to reduce class sizes," Kandavel said.

Anusha Kumarasan, whose five-year-old son, Joshua, is going into senior kindergarten — lives in the Woburn area.

She agrees that funding and resources should go to hardest-hit neighbourhoods first. But even if classes are downsized, she is worried about sending her kid to school.

"I'm very nervous about it. I'm leaning more towards online learning than actually sending him because he's so young," Kumarasan told CBC News.

"What is he going to know about sanitizing and all that? So I'm very nervous about it. Even if the class was, let's say 15 students, it will still be nerve-wracking because we don't know where the kids have been."

"They're coming into a classroom and playing together, passing things to each other. It comes down to those little things. I really don't want to send him back," Kumarasan added.

Anusha Kumarasan, whose five-year-old son is going into Senior Kindergarten, says even if classes are downsized, she is nervous about sending her kid to school. (Kelda Yuen/CBC)

Ryan Bird, a TDSB spokesperson, confirmed the board is looking for solutions.

"We're aware of this issue and are discussing what may be possible with the Ministry of Education," he said in an email statement.

Last Friday, Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce defended the province's plan but did not give a direct answer when asked if they would spend more to lower class sizes.

"We have to be adaptable," Ford told reporters. "We have to be flexible — we have been flexible."

Education unions in Toronto call on TDSB to rethink school restart plan

Elementary students will be in class full-time come September, Ontario says

Kandavel said the province is expected to reveal next week how it will be allocating the $30 million funding.

"This is going to be one of those big tests for us and for the public — that we're meeting the needs of those hardest hit."

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|About CBC News

https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/2020/08/07/government-plan-will-leave-elementary-students-at-risk.html

Government plan will leave elementary students at risk

By Sam Hammond

Fri., Aug. 7, 2020timer2 min. read

With the government’s plan for return to school in September, it is clear that restaurants, grocery stores and gyms will have more safety restrictions in place than elementary schools.

It is also painfully clear that neither Premier Ford nor Education Minister Stephen Lecce have any sense of what a day in a classroom looks like in Ontario.

If they did, they would know that with a packed classroom of 24, or in some cases more than 30 students, it is impossible to ensure physical distancing. The premier is also oblivious to the realities of a kindergarten classroom. There may be two educators in the room but there are still upwards to 30 children in a confined space. That’s concerning. These students don’t sit in rows; they are engaged in learning through play. They are more active and have less self-regulation than older students.

It’s not uncommon that COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred involving young children. In Jaffa, Israel, 33 elementary students and five staff were infected, as were nine of 11 classmates in a Trois-Rivières elementary school. Outbreaks at two child care centres in Toronto and Montreal forced temporary closures in late spring.

The Ford government is being disingenuous when it says its plan is based on recommendations from the Sick Kids Hospital Report on Return to School. The report’s authors specifically called for smaller class sizes so that physical distancing can be maintained.

Two-metre physical distancing and mask wearing have been required for indoor activities across the province. Why not in the classroom? We know that COVID-19 does not distinguish between a grocery store and a classroom, between a coffee shop and school hallways.

The fact that students in kindergarten to Grade 3 are not being required to wear masks is also troubling, since the scientific evidence regarding young children and transmission is still evolving. Even the Sick Kids Hospital Report authors could not come to consensus on the mask issue for children younger than 10 years old. Given that school boards have a duty to take every reasonable measure to protect the safety of students and staff, why would we not practice caution? All students should be required to wear masks to protect their safety and the safety of the entire school community.

That is why the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has sent a letter to those municipalities with bylaws mandating the use of masks within indoor spaces requesting that schools be included.

The Ontario government needs to stop, rethink its severely flawed plan and put the necessary funding in place to ensure the safety and health of students, educators and staff. That includes sufficient funding for smaller classes, improved building ventilation to comply with recommended standards, rental of additional classroom space if needed and the hiring of more educators to provide instruction to both smaller classes and to those students whose parents have elected to have them participate in distance learning.

Ontarians don’t need a government that gambles on the safety of students, staff, parents and their communities. The Ford government needs to listen to parents and educators and stop trying to cut costs on a safe return to school. We need a government that will safeguard the health of children and educators as they return to school this fall.

Sam Hammond is the president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario.

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-lecce-school-plan-distancing-covid-19-ontario-update-1.5677727?ref=mobilerss&cmp=newsletter_CBC%20News%20Top%20Headlines%20%20%E2%80%93%20Morning_1613_83559

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Premier, education minister defend Ontario's back-to-school plan amid class size concerns

Social Sharing

Ontario keeping elementary class sizes at pre-COVID-19 levels

CBC News · Posted: Aug 07, 2020 9:01 AM ET | Last Updated: 1 hour ago

Watch

Parents and public health agencies concerned about back-to-school safety

10 hours ago

As Ontario parents continue to press the government for stronger safety measures when schools reopen, public health agencies are making statements that seem to reinforce the parents' arguments. 1:53

Premier Doug Ford and his education minister defended Ontario's back-to-school plan on Friday amid concerns about elementary class sizes, saying the government is "flexible" but does not intend to revisit the strategy.

"We have to be adaptable," Ford told reporters during a morning news conference at Queen's Park. "We have to be flexible — we have been flexible."

Education Minister Stephen Lecce first revealed the province's plan for a return to class for students last week. Since then, he and the premier have faced criticism from some parents and educators, in particular over the decision to keep elementary school class sizes at pre-COVID-19 levels.

"As a dad, I get it. I have four girls who went through the system. I understand the concerns of the parents," Ford said.

In Ontario, there are no cap sizes for classes in Grades 4 through 8, only a maximum average of 24.5 across each board. That means it's not uncommon for children in high enrolment school boards to find themselves in classes of 30 or more students.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, left, and his Education Minister Stephen Lecce repeatedly called the province's back-to-school plan the best in the country during a news conference Friday. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

On Friday, Ford and Lecce said that the health of students is their top priority and that a combination of COVID-19 measures will keep children safe.

Lecce pointed to a number of new investments and policies for school boards announced by the province last week. Among them, $30 million to hire more staff to decrease elementary class sizes whenever possible.

Both Lecce and Ford have already conceded that despite measures to maximize the available space for in-person learning, distancing of at least two metres — the range recommended by Canadian public health experts amid the COVID-19 pandemic — won't always be possible for students in school.

Ford said that while it's not a "perfect" plan, it is still the best "in the entire country."

He also stressed that parents who are especially concerned have the ability to opt for online learning curriculums for their children.

Boards encouraged 'to be innovative'

A mandatory mask policy for students in Grade 4 to 12, limiting the number of people students will interact with during the school day and hiring additional custodians and public health nurses will all help boost safety, Lecce said.

"When you look at it as a collective, that plan and that protocol will keep kids safe," he said.

Converting gyms and cafeterias into learning spaces will also open up space for distancing, he said.

"We've encouraged [boards] to be innovative."

Back-to-school plan draws both fear and praise from Ontario parents

Education unions in Toronto call on TDSB to rethink school restart plan

Despite assurances from elected officials, the province's plan has drawn concerns from the likes of Toronto Public Health.

In a letter sent by the organization to the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) this week, health experts raised a number of red flags and urged the board to keep class sizes down to ensure two metres between students.

The TDSB has also said publicly it alone would need $250 million from the province to hire enough additional staff to reduce elementary class sizes boardwide.

$234M for child-care services

Meanwhile, the province, along with the federal government, announced new funding to help support child-care services during Ontario's COVID-19 reopening.

Ford said the two governments have earmarked $234.6 million for childhood and early-years settings among licensed daycare facilities.

The money comes as part of the Safe Restart agreement, a deal struck between Ottawa and the provinces that will see Ontario receive $7 billion in additional funding.

Rural, northern boards grapple with Ontario's back-to-school plan

Ford says the child-care money will be used to enhance cleaning and public safety protocols for facilities, including licensed daycare providers and First Nations Child and Family programs.

The government says it will be providing face coverings to all those settings, but did not immediately offer details of other measures the money would help fund.

Ontario's daycare centres, which have been operating in a limited capacity since mid-March, are allowed to fully reopen as of Sept. 1.

88 new COVID-19 cases

The Ontario Ministry of Health reported 88 new cases of COVID-19 across the province on Friday, the fifth straight day with fewer than 100 newly confirmed infections of the novel coronavirus.

Toronto, Peel and Ottawa were the only public health units to see 10 or more additional cases.

Ontario has now reported a total of 39,897 instances of COVID-19. Of those, slightly more than 90 per cent are considered resolved by public health officials.

There are currently about 1,090 confirmed cases of the illness still active provincewide.

At 66, the number of patients in Ontario hospitals with confirmed COVID-19 cases remains at its lowest since the Ministry of Health began reporting hospitalization data on April 1. Twenty-eight people are being treated in intensive care and just 12 remain on ventilators.

Ontario's official COVID-19 death toll stayed steady at 2,783. A CBC News count based on data provided directly by public health units put the real toll at 2,821.

All of the figures used in this story are found in the Ministry of Health's daily update, which includes data from up until 4 p.m. the previous day. The number of cases for any particular region on a given day may differ from what is reported by the local public health unit, which often avoid the lag times in the provincial system.

With files from Lucas Powers and The Canadian Press

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Quarantine Math Lessons at Home, New as of August 13, 2020

Grade 4: Measurement

Overall Expectations

By the end of Grade 4, students will:

• estimate, measure, and record length, perimeter, area, mass, capacity, volume, and elapsed time, using a variety of strategies;

• determine the relationships among units and measurable attributes, including the area and perimeter of rectangles.

Specific Expectations

Attributes, Units, and Measurement Sense

By the end of Grade 4, students will:

– estimate, measure, and record length, height, and distance, using standard units (i.e., millimetre, centimetre, metre, kilometre) (e.g., a pencil that is 75 mm long);

https://www.education.com/resources/fourth-grade/measurement-word-problems/

https://ca.ixl.com/math/grade-4?partner=bing&adGroup=Search+-+Grade+Levels+-+Mod+Broad+-+Math+-+Int+4th+grade+math&msclkid=844106eaea6c154a1dbc59d99340cb5f&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Search+-+Grade+Levels+-+Mod+Broad+-+Math+-+Int&utm_term=%2Bmath+%2Bgrade+%2B4&utm_content=4th+grade+math

https://www.k5learning.com/free-math-worksheets/fourth-grade-4

– draw items using a ruler, given specific lengths in millimetres or centimetres (Sample problem: Use estimation to draw a line that is 115 mm long. Beside it, use a ruler to draw a line that is 115 mm long. Compare the lengths of the lines.);

https://www.education.com/worksheets/math/?msclkid=e7b1a4bec2a71a416f59fb8db940c2bb&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Search%20-%20Worksheets%20-%20Edu%20Terms%20-%20BMM&utm_term=%2Bmath%20%2Bworksheet&utm_content=Math%20worksheets

https://ca.ixl.com/?partner=bing&adGroup=Search+-+General+-+Phrase+-+Int+math+worksheets&msclkid=e352b08254d31d35654defb12f342382&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Search+-+General+-+Phrase+-+Int&utm_term=math+worksheet&utm_content=math+worksheets

http://www.eocccmathinquiry.ca/eoccc-math-grade-4.html

– estimate, measure (i.e., using an analogue clock), and represent time intervals to the nearest minute;

https://www.education.com/worksheets/math/?msclkid=e5033b557c5d1fe54e46646600fbd320&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Search%20-%20Worksheets%20-%20Edu%20Terms%20-%20BMM&utm_term=%2Bmath%20%2Bworksheet&utm_content=Math%20workshee

https://ca.ixl.com/?partner=bing&adGroup=Search+-+General+-+Phrase+-+Int+math+worksheets&msclkid=eb9fc52e088a12997b7c9a1d742c6ec4&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Search+-+General+-+Phrase+-+Int&utm_term=math+worksheet&utm_content=math+worksheets

https://www.mathworksheets4kids.com/time.php

https://www.math-drills.com/timeworksheets.php

– estimate and determine elapsed time, with and without using a time line, given the durations of events expressed in five-minute intervals, hours, days, weeks, months, or years (Sample problem: If you wake up at 7:30 a.m., and it takes you 10 minutes to eat your breakfast, 5 minutes to brush your teeth, 25 minutes to wash and get dressed, 5 minutes to get your backpack ready, and 20 minutes to get to school, will you be at school by 9:00 a.m.?);

https://www.education.com/worksheets/time/

– estimate, measure using a variety of tools(e.g., centimetre grid paper, geoboard) and strategies, and record the perimeter and area of polygons;

http://www.eocccmathinquiry.ca/eoccc-math-grade-4.html

=================================================================

Secret 75% Class Average Policy (Do teachers follow a 75% class average policy when they mark student work? Is this honest? Does this lead to inaccurate marks? Does this keep some students out of the program they want in college and university by lowering some marks? Can parents sue the school board and the province?)
=============================================================
Lessons During the Pandemic. Parents in Ontario can check this web site and look up the topics and subjects that their children were supposed to learn this past school year. You may purchase workbooks at stores such as Chapters/Indigo to help your child to avoid falling behind. Your local branch of the public library may have activities to help children this summer if Covid-19 cooperates and goes away. Your child's teacher from last year may provide question and answer worksheets and booklets for you to print off. Use youtube to find videos on the topics your child was supposed to learn about this past year. Good luck. TH
Get your child to write a lot of fiction and non-fiction and the parent or grandparent who is the best at writing could correct the work looking for spelling errors, capital letters errors, tense errors, prefixes, suffixes, and punctuation mistakes. You could have children share their stories with each other. Comedy is often a favourite topic.

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/Curriculum/elementary/grades.html

==============================================================

(A former Catholic educator told me that many years ago a very reliable source told him that not long after abortion became legal in Canada the medical community warned the supporters of abortion rights that they could only expect to have access to abortions upon demand for about twenty years. After that the technology with contraception would be so efficient that there would be very few unwanted pregnancies so the number of abortions requested would be very low. If this happened the medical community would have to de-list abortion services and offer other medical services. The former Catholic educator was told that Pro-Choice had meetings and decided to organize their supporters into getting pregnant just to have abortions so that the abortion doctors would be too busy performing operations to de-list the service. He told me that many of the abortions today and the past ten years have been political abortions, not the consequence of incest, rape, or the mother's life was at risk. Is this true? Do they teach this fact in secondary schools in Canada and the U.S.? Do they teach it in elementary schools?)

(Wikipedia: In 2017, 94,030 abortions were reported in Canada; it is estimated that this number "represents approximately 90% of all abortions performed in Canada involving Canadian residents".)
(nbc.com, Sept. 18, 2019, 3:55 PM CST By Associated Press

The number and rate of abortions across the United States have plunged to their lowest levels since the procedure became legal nationwide in 1973, according to new figures released Wednesday.

The report from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, counted 862,000 abortions in the U.S. in 2017. That's down from 926,000 tallied in the group's previous report for 2014, and from just more than 1 million counted for 2011.

Guttmacher is the only entity that strives to count all abortions in the U.S., making inquiries of individual providers. Federal data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention excludes California, Maryland and New Hampshire.

The new report illustrates that abortions are decreasing in all parts of the country, whether in Republican-controlled states seeking to restrict abortion access or in Democratic-run states protecting abortion rights. Between 2011 and 2017, abortion rates increased in only five states and the District of Columbia.)
*******************************************************************

(Do principals tell teachers to make sure that their marks average-out to 75%? I was told this helps to keep marks lower so everyone doesn't get 90% to make the teacher look good but then the best universities have difficulty choosing who gets a seat in the science program.)
(A retired teacher told me in 2013 that the board has a secret list that principals use to decide who is owed a teaching job based on the secret deal teachers have with school boards. This way family members of school boards get jobs with no arguments and grievances and sons and daughters of teachers get teaching jobs. If you don't have family with the board you can have substitute teaching or special ed, which are twice as stressful and more risk. Substitute teaching pays a third of a full-time teacher who has 10 years in.
*******************************************************************

(Is it true that there are thousands and thousands of political abortions performed in Canada and the U.S. each year that are not connected to incest, rape or the threat of the mother's life? Is this taught in secondary schools in Ontario and Canada?)
*******************************************************************
(A former Catholic teacher in Ontario said that he took Religious Education, Part 1, so that he could qualify to teach with a Catholic board in Ontario. He said that the instructor in Scripture told the group of 25 Catholics that modern theologians believed that the story underlying Christianity was basically based on myth. Do you find it strange that educators would prepare Catholic teachers by teaching them these ideas in their training?)
(A teacher told me that in university he studied Sociology 100. He said that in one lecture a professor said that religion was basically a myth. It was stories invented to answer the many questions that humans had about the world and to manipulate people into choosing good actions and morals over animal-like, mean morals and choices. Is this what they are teaching teens in high school in sociology today? Do you agree or disagree?)
*******************************************************************
(Does your child's teacher give marks so that they average out to 75% for the class? Do you think that this practice is dishonest and unfair? Do you think a parent can sue the school board if an audit of the class marks shows a 75% class average?)

(Parents, if you suspect that your child's teacher is inflating their marks just to avoid criticism and to make themselves look good then have your child independently tested, especially in reading, writing, math and science and just after a report card comes out. If there is a discrepancy between the independent testing mark and the teacher's marks take the independent test to the parent council and then to the principal to discuss the matter.)
(Could teachers and school boards be sued by parents if they felt that their child's marks were too low? If a parent asked for an audit of their child's class marks does the board have to comply?)

(Do teachers mark student work aiming to end up with a 75% average for every subject with their class? Who gets stuck with the 60 or the 70 to bring down the average to 75? What if a parent and their child want to get into a very competitive college or university program? Is this fair marking? Can a parent sue a board or the government for fraud if they have an official/unofficial policy of class average of 75%? Parents, ask for an audit of the teacher's marks to see if they average out to 75. This will tell you the truth.)
(Parents wanting to test if their child's teacher knows their stuff can use these guides if the grade is applicable. Some teachers get hired because they know the guides and teach them but some get hired because of who they know. Go ahead, test your child's teacher.)
http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/math/guides_effective_instruction.html

(School boards and the ministries and departments of education should not pressure teachers to mark to a policy of a 75% class average. This distorts marks. I think this is unfair. If a student's work achieves 90% of the learning objective then they have earned 90%.)

Post XIX: Did Regulation 274/12 provide Substitute Teachers Who Do Not have Family in the Board With a Chance at Fair Hiring?

2016-11-23T18:29:00.000-08:00

(All pictures are removed since they use up too much storage space.)
(To see the pictures that are part of an article click on the address link.)

(To read comments that people leave on the main news site click on the address link.)
(In 2012 the Ontario English Catholic Teacher's Association, the union for all elementary and secondary Catholic teachers in Ontario, negotiated a collective bargaining agreement with the Ontario government for a two-year agreement. The union wanted hiring of the most experienced and qualified teachers since they had hundreds of experienced teachers who were stuck in substitute teaching and since many school boards were not even advertising contract or full-time, permanent teaching positions, they were just giving them to the children of people in administration, and those substitute teachers were going bankrupt and they were really pushing their union to get an agreement so they could at least get contract positions which would increase their salaries significantly. The boards made an agreement but they almost took their first-born to consent to hiring experienced, qualified teachers. The boards and the Province of Ontario demanded and got: no strike for two years; no raises for two years; no payout of banked, unused sick days at retirement up to a maximum of 200 sick days; 10 out of 20 sick days surrendered; death benefits; and something else I can't remember. OECTA signed and called it a major victory. ETFO, elementary public teachers union, refused to sign it. OSSTF, public secondary teacher's union, refused to sign it. After a few months of quiet discussion the unions all signed it. By the way it turned out there was an interview involved and you had to get a satisfactory agreement based on your interview to make it onto a roster from which the principals would choose who got the contracts. My question is: why was the province and why were the school boards so opposed to hiring the more experienced, more qualified teachers? It is called regulation 274/12. There was so much family hiring in school boards a dispute made the front page of the Windsor Star. A full-time teacher in Toronto said family hiring is just as bad in the public boards but they are better at keeping a lid on it. Don't become a teacher in Ontario unless you have family in a full-time position. In my opinion, you'll end up in substitute teaching for years, the full-timers will not support you, it's all your fault if anything goes wrong, they might let you have special ed., it will probably drive you out within five years and you have to have five years of university to qualify for the honour.)

https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/03/25/ontario-school-guidance-counsellors-seek-more-resources-in-dealing-with-mental-health-concerns.html

Ontario school guidance counsellors seek more resources in dealing with mental health concerns

By Kristin Rushowy Queen's Park Bureau

Mon., March 25, 2019

Student mental health is a huge concern for school guidance counsellors — who these days help kids with everything from stress to substance abuse and have even become the go-to person for families looking to find counselling.

A survey by the Ontario School Counsellors’ Association, to be released Monday, found that providing mental health help is the most drastic change the profession has faced, given a general lack of services and long wait times in the community — and it’s the one area they are now urging they receive more training in, given the new realities of their job.

Nicole Trotter, a middle-school guidance counsellor with the Peel District School Board and president of the Ontario School Counsellors’ Association, says “mental health just falls into pretty much everything within our work.”

Not only do they provide support to students, but are often expected to link families — and even marriages — to community agencies in times of crisis.

“The minute somebody’s at my door, I drop everything — they are what matters most,” said Nicole Trotter, a middle-school guidance counsellor with the Peel District School Board and president of the association.

With school board social workers and psychologists already stretched among a number of schools, “we can’t diagnose (mental health issues), but we are sometimes the first resource the school comes to — teachers come to, students come to — when there’s an issue.”

The survey of 650 school guidance counsellors, who are specially trained, fully certified teachers, found that the top priority for training among those working in both elementary and secondary pertains to student mental health and wellness.

They spend more than eight hours a week working with students on social/emotional and interpersonal issues as well as liaising with psychologists and mental health professionals.

When asked what they think students’ expectations are, guidance counsellors said “be a mother,” “be a father,” “psychologist,” while parents want them to “be the parent when they cannot get through to their child,” as well as “family or marriage counsellor.”

The changing role of the guidance counsellor — typically thought of as someone who helps with course selection and career and post-secondary pathways, and who support students who have been disciplined — was confirmed in a recent People for Education survey, which found that one in four high school counsellors spent much of their time “providing one-on-one counselling to students for mental health needs.”

High schools have an average of roughly one guidance counsellor for every 385 students. Most elementary schools, because of their smaller size, share a counsellor with a number of other schools.

In 2018, the former Liberal government provided additional funding for counsellors specifically to help students in Grades 7 and 8.

“We are the first contact,” added Trotter, who works full-time in guidance thanks to a special initiative in Peel that has added even more guidance resources. “Because of our role, we are spending (the) most time with these students when they are unable to manage the demands of the classroom.

“We might be providing a safe space, calm learning conditions, or helping a student calm down after a panic attack. It can be anything.”

Counsellors also work on diversity and inclusiveness initiatives, bullying and cyberbullying prevention but at the core of all that they do “mental health just falls into pretty much everything within our work,” she added.

Psychologists and social workers aren’t on-site and work among a number of schools, “we also know in the community that wait times are horrible,” she added. “One of the biggest things are pushing for is training and professional development in all of these areas when it comes to mental health — self-harm, suicide — anything along that mental health scope, because we are helping to manage it on the front lines.

“It’s students first — you can’t turn a student away.”

“I think of my own day,” she added. “I start with my students most at risk, and I end my day with them as well … it’s students first. You can’t turn a student away.”

With kids feeling more comfortable speaking out about mental health, the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association is looking for more support and resources in schools. A recent survey it conducted found one in three students felt there weren’t enough, and about half of parents and teachers felt services were inadequate to meet demand.

Clarington Central Secondary School student Lindsey Keene said teens naturally head to the guidance office because they are a constant presence, and students are assigned to one in particular so they have a familiar face to turn to.

Given the recent announcement by the government — boosting secondary class sizes from 22 to 28 over the next four years, with an estimated 10,000 teaching positions lost — Keene said the association is worried about losing any adult presence in schools.

The government has said the class sizes are in line with other jurisdictions in Canada, and that larger classes can help build teen resiliency.

The student association has been advocating for more guidance counsellors in elementary and secondary schools, she added, given the level of youth stress and anxiety.

“At this point, we don’t know what might happen in terms of what staff schools might lose … but we want to make sure that those positions stay there,” said Keene, who is the public affairs co-ordinator for the organization.

Toronto Catholic board Chair Maria Rizzo called the current guidance-student ratios “disgusting.”

“The bottom line is: We have a crisis and we don’t have enough staff to address it,” said Rizzo.

“ … I kind of think that you pay now, or you pay later.”

The Ontario and federal governments have pledged $3.8 billion over the next decade for mental health support for adults and children.

Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy

https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/03/23/mandatory-online-courses-in-ontario-high-schools-raise-concerns-for-educators.html

Mandatory online courses in Ontario high schools raise concerns for educators

By Kristin Rushowy Queen's Park Bureau

Sat., March 23, 2019

Is Ontario’s move to mandatory e-learning off the mark?

In a massive shift to digital coursework, Ontario will soon require high school students to earn four online credits before they graduate — a first in North America.

The Ontario government’s plan would see high school students earn one e-learning credit a year in online classes. (JONATHAN HAYWARD / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO)

But with few details about the move, which begins in 2020-21, critics are questioning the rapid push to so much virtual learning so soon.

“Although e-learning classes provide a modernized learning experience for students, these courses are not a good fit for everyone,” said Amal Qayum, president of the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association, which found in a 2017 survey of teens that three-quarters felt online lacked when compared to a regular classroom setting.

The group called on the Ford government to “reverse the rule mandating that all secondary school students take four e-learning courses” out of the 30 required for graduation “as different learning styles cannot be accommodated by an all-encompassing change in graduation requirements.”

The government’s plan would see teens earn one e-learning credit a year in online classes with an average of 35 students.

“Further information will be available at a later date,” said Kayla Iafelice, a spokesperson for Education Minister Lisa Thompson.

Have your say

What do you think of e-learning courses?

It's a move in the right direction. Students should learn in all environments, including digital.
It's a slippery slope. More and more digital classes means less human interaction.
I don't know. I would need to see the courses to make a decision.

Speaking in the legislature, Premier Doug Ford said “we’re focusing on technology as well” as a package of education reforms that will also see the average secondary school class jump from 22 students to 28 over the next four years.

But NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said with larger classes — and an estimated loss of 10,000 teaching positions — the “Ford government’s plan for our kids (is) fewer teachers, larger class sizes, more Googling.

“The premier says he consulted with parents,” Horwath said. “Can he tell us how many of those parents asked for larger class sizes and learning from YouTube?”

A handful of American states already require one mandatory online course in high school, while others simply recommend it.

In Ontario, about 50,000 high school students took at least one online course in 2018.

Clare Brett of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, who has been researching online learning for 30 years, said “on the face of it, it’s a good idea. It’s a good experience for students to get — if it’s a good experience.”

She’s said quality, however, can be an issue, and she’s also not keen on the credits being mandatory. “What does it mean? You do not graduate if you don’t have four credits?”

The government has said students with special needs can be exempt.

Some U.S. studies have shown online achievement equal to or marginally better than in school, though concerns about higher dropout rates are common. However, Brett said that could be because it’s the easiest thing for students to drop and pick up later.

Harvey Bischof, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, said “there is a value in online education in certain cases,” especially in remote and rural areas where there is not a broad range of course offerings.

For students who are highly motivated, they can work well, but “our experience shows that credit delivery through online learning is not very efficient, whatsoever,” Bischof said.

Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy

(A former substitute teacher with Toronto Catholic tells me he was talking to an elderly former neighbour. He told the neighbour that he hit his back at work several years ago. He was in pain for three days and he finally gave in and went to a chiropractor. The doctor helped him and it took away the pain. His co-worker told him he'd better report it to the supervisor in case it becomes a reoccurring problem. The worker went in to the supervisor and told him what happened to cause the injury. He said he wanted to report it to the Worker's Safety Insurance Board. The supervisor made a clear disapproving look and he asked him if he was sure that he wanted to do that. The worker had second thoughts and he said that he was feeling fine now so he thought he didn't need to report it. It was a reoccurring back-ache over the years but he has been able to work with it. The elderly neighbour told him it's a good thing he didn't report it because he would never work again. He asked the neighbour what he meant. The neighbour said that his name would have ended up on the secret list of anyone in Ontario who ever had an injury at work. He raised his hand to his mouth and placed a finger to his mouth saying, "Sh." The elderly neighbour was a machinist and then a supervisor at a factory that manufactured nuts and bolts and screws and washers.)

https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/03/22/ford-warns-teachers-unions-not-to-dare-protest-class-size-increases.html

Ford warns teachers’ unions not to dare protest class-size increases

By Robert Benzie Queen's Park Bureau Chief

Kristin Rushowy Queen's Park Bureau

Fri., March 22, 2019

Premier Doug Ford is warning teachers’ unions against taking any action to protest his government’s move to increase class sizes to save money.

“If the head of the unions want to hurt the children of this province by doing walkouts and everything else, I’d think twice if I were them,” Ford said Friday in Ottawa where he was touting the province’s $1.2 billion investment in a local light rail transit project.

Premier Doug Ford speaks during a press conference at Queen's Park on March 20, 2019. Ford has issued a warning to teachers not to take any action to protest changes to education. (COLE BURSTON / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

“You know I think the world of teachers but I might differentiate between labour and labour leadership, public and private sector unions,” the premier said.

“I love the front-line teachers and we may not see eye to eye with the head of the unions because all they want to do is collect their union dues and start pocketing (them) into their pockets,” he said.

Ford’s comments came after the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation said a high school with 800 students would lose 11 teachers — from 46 to 35 — due to changes introduced by his government.

OSSTF president Harvey Bischof said that’s the toll from increasing the average secondary school class size from 22 student to 28 over the next four years and it could trigger “disruption” this fall with teacher contracts expiring at the end of August.

That’s because OSSTF members “will not concede” to bigger classes in their local collective agreements.

In total, the union expects to lose 5,700 teachers in English-language public high schools alone.

Bischof said manufacturing a division between union leaders and members “is an old, tired tactic by right-wing premiers.”

“We represent the membership. We are an extremely democratic organization,” he said, noting members voted to re-elect him just a couple of weeks ago.

“The premier’s expressed interest in front-line teachers is rather undermined by the fact that he’s trying to remove 25 per cent of teachers. It sounds like rank hypocrisy.”

As for Ford’s suggestion union dues may be misspent, Bischof said the OSSTF’s budget is “extremely transparently accounted for” and such unfounded accusations by a premier “are beneath the dignity of his office.”

Across all school boards, about 10,000 teaching positions are expected to be eliminated, as classes in Grades 4 to 8 grow by an average of one student, and an average of six in high school.

The Progressive Conservative government has said class caps in kindergarten and the primary grades will remain.

Education Minister Lisa Thompson has said the larger class sizes will prepare students for the real world.

“We’re hearing from professors and employers alike that they are lacking coping skills and they are lacking resiliency,” Thompson told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning host Matt Galloway on Wednesday.

Her comments provoked an outcry, but Ford urged teachers to see the big picture.

“I worry about the front-line teachers. I worry about the students. I worry about the 50 per cent of our Grade 6 students that are failing math. I’m worried about one-third of our teachers that can’t even pass the same math test the Grade 6 students are failing,” he said.

The premier, elected last June on a promise of making $6 billion in cuts to the $150 billion budget, noted that Finance Minister Vic Fedeli spending plan on April 11 will be more moderate than his critics fear.

“We’re going to be responsible. We aren’t going to go in there and hack and slash. We’re going to make sure we do it responsibly,” he said.

Robert Benzie is the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy

https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/03/21/high-school-teachers-union-warns-of-labour-disruption-in-fall-over-class-size-changes.html

High school teachers’ union warns of labour ‘disruption’ in fall over class-size changes

By Kristin Rushowy Queen's Park Bureau

Thu., March 21, 2019

An average high school with 800 students will lose 11 teachers — from 46 to 35 — because of changes introduced by the Ford government, the union representing secondary educators is warning.

Moving from an average of 22 students to 28 students in a class will mean thousands of jobs eliminated over the next four years — some 5,700 in English public high schools alone, said Harvey Bischof, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation.

Harvey Bischof, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, warns that thousands of teaching jobs will disappear under the province’s plan to increase class sizes. (ANDREW FRANCIS WALLACE / TORONTO STAR)

“That equates to a loss of approximately 34,000 classes,” he said Thursday. “It means that any smaller, more specialized program is unlikely to survive. It means ballooning class sizes in any course that is not limited by issues such as student safety, as we would see in certain technology classes.”

And, he added, “it means in a fairly average high school of 800 students, by 2023, instead of the current 46 classroom teachers, there would be 35.”

Bischof also warned of upcoming “disruption” this fall, given teacher contracts expiring at the end of August, saying his members “will not concede” to bigger classes in their local agreements.

Across all school boards, about 10,000 teaching positions are expected to be eliminated, as classes in Grades 4 to 8 grow by an average of one student, and an average of six in high school. The government has said class caps in kindergarten and the primary grades will remain.

The Ontario Public School Boards Association believes the increases will “have a dramatic and harmful effect on both students and staff in secondary schools across Ontario” and is asking the government to take a “second look” as it did with its controversial autism overhaul.

“They have said that they are still doing consultations until the end of May,” said OPSBA President Cathy Abraham, adding she hopes the ministry will realize “the negative impact of such a big increase.

“It’s not just about adding six students to every class in the province. It doesn’t work like that. I’m very concerned that there will be very, very large classes in order to support the (smaller) classes that meet kids’ needs.”

As for the government’s claim that employers want young workers who are resilient — something Education Minister Lisa Thompson said larger classes help to foster — Bischof said “at a time when small, collaborative groups are the innovation engine of so many Ontario businesses, is an industrial model of 40 or 45 students in a class really going to produce students who meet employers’ needs?”

On Wednesday, Thompson told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning that the government is “hearing from professors and employers alike that (youth) are lacking coping skills and they are lacking resiliency.”

“By increasing class sizes in high school, we are preparing them for the reality of post-secondary, as well as the world of work.”

Bischof called her claim “outlandish” and not supported by any research.

The government will save about $250 million in the first year alone with changes to class sizes.

Thompson has promised no teachers will be laid off and all positions eliminated will be through attrition.

https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/snobelen-ontarios-education-minister-on-right-track-with-positive-changes

SNOBELEN: Ontario's education minister on right track with positive changes

John Snobelen

Published: March 22, 2019

Updated: March 22, 2019 4:17 PM EDT

Education Minister Lisa Thompson unveils changes to the school system on Friday, March 15, 2019 in Toronto. (Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun)

There aren’t a lot of easy jobs in government but most people would agree that minister of education has one of the toughest assignments.

It is a massive ministry, it spends a ton of money and it matters.

Arguably no other department of government has a more important role in shaping the future of the province.

K-12 public education is the ultimate clique. Education bureaucrats and the teacher unions cut up the billions spent in the name of education while negotiating education quality at the bargaining table.

Parents, students and taxpayers are all, to one degree or another, excluded from this happy cabal.

So is logic.

There are lots of examples of the chasm between the concerns of parents and the priorities of the public education cartel.

Parents don’t ask for much, but they would like a school system that puts an emphasis on numeracy and literacy and provides regular, objective evaluations of student performance.

Taxpayers don’t object to funding quality public education — but is it too much to ask for meaningful value audits and cost comparisons with other jurisdictions?

If the school system was responsive to the concerns of parents and taxpayers low math scores and escalating costs would keep educrats and union leaders up at night.

Instead, the system seems much more concerned with protecting teacher jobs and perks.

Consider the recent kerfuffle over class size.

While student enrollment in Ontario has declined over the past decade, the number of teachers employed in the system has actually increased.

But the lower ratio of students to teachers hasn’t improved student performance. In fact, some test results have declined.

The bottom line is easy to add up. While classroom caps have been wonderful for teacher union executives, they haven’t done much for students.

That is particularly true for the students condemned to split classes caused by class size caps.

The gap between the interests of the education community and the needs of parents and taxpayers is what makes the job of education minister difficult.

This week Ontario Education Minister Lisa Thompson announced some changes that tilt the balance of priorities toward the parents.

It’s about time.

The minister revealed two important curriculum changes, a more sensible class size protocol and an important foray into e-learning.

A part of the announcement dealt with changes to the health and sex-ed curriculum. The new, more balanced approach continues to tackle difficult subjects, but it puts more control in the hands of parents.

Minister Thompson also revealed the long-awaited answer to Ontario’s serious erosion in math scores — a back-to-basics math curriculum.

The most forward-looking announcement was a requirement for online high school credit courses. Beginning in 2020, Ontario students will be required to take one online course every year.

But the education clique barely noticed those positive changes. The unions were collectively horrified and outraged by the Minister’s announcement that class sizes would grow over the next four years, Thompson’s balanced approach to class size (small classes for young students, larger classes in high school) will bring Ontario closer to the average staffing levels in Canadian schools.

The backlash from the teacher unions over the class size announcement is a clear indication that, after over a decade of being ignored, the needs of parents, students and taxpayers are finally being addressed.

Better curriculum, e-learning and realistic class sizes are good things.

And that makes Lisa Thompson a darn good education minister.

(New teacher professional development in the U.S.)

https://nationalpost.com/news/world/teachers-were-reportedly-shot-execution-style-with-pellet-guns-at-an-active-shooter-training

Teachers reportedly shot ‘execution style' with pellet guns during active shooter drill

'They were injured to the extent that welts appeared and blood was drawn'

Empty classroom with wooden chairs.sengchoy/Getty Images

Washington Post

Perry Stein

March 22, 2019

8:24 AM EDT

It was billed as a drill.

But law enforcement officials at an Indiana elementary school reportedly ordered teachers to turn around and crouch and then shot them with plastic pellets, leaving the educators bruised and bloodied during an active-shooter training drill.

Details about the January incident emerged during a Wednesday hearing before state lawmakers on proposed legislation outlining how schools could spend grants from the Indiana safe-schools fund. The measure would require schools to have active-shooter training.

Gail Zeheralis, director of government relations for the Indiana State Teachers Association, testified about a small school district between Indianapolis and Chicago that appeared to take its active-shooter training drill too far.

Sheriff’s deputies directed teachers at a Twin Lakes School Corporation elementary school in Monticello, Indiana, into a room four at a time, told them to crouch down and then shot them execution-style with pellets in rapid succession, according to Zeheralis’s testimony.

“They were injured to the extent that welts appeared and blood was drawn,” according to Zeheralis’s prepared testimony, which was shared with The Washington Post. “There was screaming.”

Zeheralis said teachers waiting outside the room heard their co-workers screaming, and then were brought into the room and shot with the pellets. She said the teachers were told not to relay what happened to anyone.

The teachers union, which supports the safe-schools grants, called for an amendment prohibiting drills that include shooting at teachers.

“We believe adding a sentence prohibiting the firing of any projectile during these drills is a sufficient and necessary guideline going forward,” Zeheralis’s testimony read. “No one in education takes these drills lightly. The risk of harming someone far outweighs whatever added realism may be sought.”

Twin Lakes School Corporation offered few details but said in a statement the drill was conducted in partnership with the White County Sheriff’s Department. The sheriff’s department provided the school staff with ALICE training, which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate.

Twin Lakes School Corporation said it received questions about the training from the local teachers union and arranged a meeting between educators and law enforcement to discuss the incident.

“Twin Lakes looks forward to continuing its important partnerships with the Twin Lakes Classroom Teachers Organization and the White County Sheriff’s Department in pursuing a safe environment for all students and employees,” the statement read.

The Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The department told the Indianapolis Star it had conducted similar training before but that after receiving a complaint, it would no longer use air-powered devices to shoot teachers.

Dan Holub, executive director of the Indiana State Teachers Association, said the proposed legislation and the publicity from the training incident has generated productive conversations about how Indiana can prepare and prevent emergency situations that schools might face.

“It’s important that we understand what’s happening in our schools,” Holub said. “This is a case with extraordinarily poor judgment, and the community has a right to know about it.”

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/randall-denley-ontario-pcs-modest-education-plan-will-still-be-seen-as-radical-by-unions?video_autoplay=true

Randall Denley: Ontario PCs' modest education plan will still be seen as radical by unions

The moderately ambitious plan will still be seen as revolutionary in the context of an education system that measures success primarily by class size and dollars spent

Ontario is raising some class sizes and introducing a new sex-ed curriculum ...2:51

March 21, 2019

9:11 PM EDT

Critics of the Ontario PCs’ education plan have seen right through the government’s claim that it’s “modernizing” our schools. It’s about money, they say. Brilliant! Go to the head of the class.

When a government is facing an 11-figure deficit, everything it does is about money, to some considerable degree. This should come neither as a shock nor a revelation. Nor should it be surprising that a government aiming to eliminate the deficit it inherited would reduce costs in its second-largest-spending ministry. This is what happens when a province has a multi-billion dollar gap between what people consider an essential level of services and what they are actually paying for.

The fairer way to assess the government’s new education plan is to ask whether it is reasonable under the financial circumstances the province faces. If something has to be changed, is the province changing the right things?

The plan to increase class sizes has drawn most of the criticism, with the secondary school teaching union saying it had “declared war.” War is the normal state of affairs for teaching unions in Ontario. They have fought governments of all three parties, going back to the last century. The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario has hilariously referred to the Liberal years between 2009 and 2018 as “a struggle against austerity.”

The government will maintain class-size caps until the end of Grade 3. In a move it says will bring Ontario in line with most other provinces, it would add one elementary student to the average class from grades 4 to 8. Secondary school classes would increase from an average of 22 students to an average of 28.

This what the government hopes, at least. Class sizes in Ontario are part of the collective agreements with unions. The increases the PCs are calling for will not be easily achieved, but if the government is to accomplish anything more than a symbolic spending tweak, it has to increase the student-teacher ratio. It is the only practical way to reduce labour costs. Thousands of teaching jobs will be eliminated, through attrition.

The larger class sizes make up more than half of the total PC spending reduction plan, which is estimated to save about $1 billion and will be phased in over four years. Prepare to hear that this change will devastate the province’s schools, but it looks pretty modest compared to the $29-billion education budget.

The last thing that was predicted to devastate our schools was changing the sex-ed curriculum. The new PC plan features mostly minor changes in the timing of the content delivered in the previous Liberal plan. Another cataclysm avoided.

More substantively, the PCs are promising a more basic approach to math, an increased focus on science and technology skills and more emphasis on trades education. All these changes are overdue. In general, schools need to focus on the skills the job market requires. Ontario student achievement on standardized math tests has been slowly declining in grades 3 and 6, and in Grade 9 fewer than half of the students in the applied stream meet the provincial standard. The Liberal solution was to keep spending more money on the same approach. Maybe the PC plan won’t work either, but it makes more sense than repeating the same failed methods.

A rally in Owen Sound in February, organized by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, protested potential cuts or changes to Ontario’s education system by the Ford government. Denis Langlois/The Owen Sound Sun Times/Postmedia

Ontario students will also be expected to take four courses online over their high school careers. If some other party proposed it, this change would be considered a forward-looking embrace of technology.

Overall, the PC plan is only moderately ambitious, but it will still be seen as revolutionary in the context of an education system that measures success primarily by class size and dollars spent. The PC changes will make the jobs of secondary school teachers more onerous, without a doubt. They will not be the first professional group to face such a challenge.

Nevertheless, the teaching unions will fight change because that’s what they do. Expect the unions to tell us how devastating the spending reductions will be for disadvantaged children, a more appealing argument than pure self-interest.

In that context, new research from the Centre for Independent Studies in Australia reaches some interesting conclusions. In a study of disadvantaged schools, researchers found that the key factors of success were experienced principals, a systematic and methodical approach to teaching, and strong, consistent classroom discipline. Principals of the most successful schools stayed away from the inquiry-based learning Ontario has loved so much, on the grounds that it requires background knowledge that lower-income and immigrant students typically do not have. The education researcher who did the report said the critical factor was not how much schools spent, but how they spent it.

Imagine.

Randall Denley is an Ottawa political commentator and former Ontario PC candidate. Contact him at randalldenley1@gmail.com

https://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/9235279-fix-the-system-but-don-t-hurt-students/

Fix the system but don’t hurt students

There’s a big, bloated bureaucracy and many programs that have outlived their usefulness — how about starting there?

Opinion 01:44 PM by Janet Trull Hamilton Spectator

Ontario Education Minister Lisa Thompson stands alongside Parliamentary Assistant, Sam Oosterhoff, as she makes a statement about changes to the education system. Janet Trull argues the government can make changes and become more efficient without hurting students. - Chris Young , The Canadian Press

The Progressive Conservative government of Ontario released a memo urging school boards to implement a hiring freeze. Class sizes will increase. Fewer teachers will be in schools. Some money will be saved. Not enough to balance the budget. Not enough to justify pushing a highly stressed system over the edge. At a time when students are requiring more and more individualized support, the government must look beyond the classroom for cuts to human resources.

Something has to give. We get it. The education bureaucracy needs tuning up. Current spending is unsustainable. Somebody has to go. But not teachers.

Then who?

1. Directors. It's time to reimagine the school board system. There are 76 public school boards in Ontario. That's 76 directors of education, whose combined annual salaries could cover cuts made to Special Education. Boards are not autonomous. They all follow Ministry of Education policies and guidelines. So why are we paying directors? Area superintendents could report directly to the Minister of Education in a centralized system, like the one operating successfully in New Zealand.

2. Collective Agreement Specialists. Each board has a small army of union representatives, lawyers and accountants on the payroll to settle elementary and secondary collective agreements. Long, drawn-out negotiations cost a fortune and interrupt school programming with work-to-rule job action and strike threats. One hundred and fifty-two collective agreements take up valuable time, money and attention. When the dust settles, teachers are making roughly the same salaries in Thunder Bay as they are in Fenelon Falls or Grimsby or Windsor. Collective agreements are almost carbon copies of each other. Teachers are government employees, with just a few differences in salaries, pensions, conditions of employment, benefits and things like class size. One collective agreement should be enough.

3. EQAO. The Education Quality and Accountability Office. It costs around $35 million a year to run this organization, according to its website. Designed to gather information on student achievement in reading, writing and math in grades 3, 6 and 9, as well as the OSS Literacy Test, the process has outlived its mandate. We have learned everything we need to from these tests, and yet they continue to burden schools with yearly interruptions to instructional time. There is no evidence that large-scale testing improves the quality of education. And many of the programming changes, which were developed in response to the data, have resulted in plummeting scores, especially in math. Ongoing classroom assessment is more effective.

4. Student Achievement Officers. I was a Student Achievement Officer myself for three years. As a seconded teacher, I worked for the Literacy/Numeracy Secretariat, a branch of the Student Achievement Division. I thoroughly enjoyed the job, travelling to schools throughout the province to introduce curriculum, assessment and program initiatives. I felt privileged to work with world-renowned educational researchers. But taxpayer investment is significant and the benefits limited. There is not enough evidence to demonstrate that this organization, over 15 years, has improved student learning across the province in the way it was intended.

5. Queen's Park efficiency is a good thing. Agreed. But most classrooms are running as efficiently as possible. Look elsewhere. Open the doors to Ministry of Education-funded offices at Queen's Park. Interrupt their busy schedules of meetings and committees and strategy development. Compare the budgets of these offices to your local school budget:

• Communications Branch

• System Planning, Research & Innovation Division

• Strategic Planning & Transformation Branch

• Education Research & Evaluation Strategy Branch

• Incubation & Design Branch

• Education Statistics and Analysis Branch

• Student Achievement Division

• Leadership, Collaboration & Governance Branch

Too many students in Ontario are graduating without basic level math and literacy skills. If the Progressive Conservative government is really interested in making cuts to the education budget that will not hurt kids, it should make some bold changes to an inefficient system and put a hiring freeze on officers and researchers and directors before compromising increasingly precarious school environments with overcrowded classrooms.

Janet Trull lives in Ancaster and worked for years as an educator

Janet Trull lives in Ancaster and worked for years as an educator

https://www.therecord.com/news-story/9235445-life-on-autism-spectrum-a-mystery-to-most/

Life on autism spectrum a mystery to most

Autism community discovering its power as a voice for positive change, The Record’s Joel Rubinoff writes

News 02:30 PM by Joel Rubinoff Waterloo Region Record

Hundreds of parents, therapists and union members gathered March 7 in Toronto, outside Queen's Park, to protest the provincial government's changes to Ontario's autism program. - Frank Gunn , The Canadian Press

Even as the parent of a kid with autism, I can be fooled by stereotypes.

When a member of my wife's extended family passed away a few weeks ago, my two sons were in the middle of a heated dispute over snowball-fight etiquette, about to come to blows.

When the call came in, I fully expected them to ignore the sad news, partly because their complaining had reached an apocalyptic crescendo, but also because neither had ever met their U.S.-based great uncle.

So I was surprised when nine-year-old Sam quietly burst into tears, but downright shocked when Max — a classic case of still waters run deep — followed suit.

He was clearly devastated, and I was stunned to see my normally stoic 10-year-old — whose diagnosis inferred he would never exhibit true empathy — visibly moved by the ephemeral nature of existence.

Once the tears subsided, I figured their sibling rivalry would continue unabated but, before I could stage a pre-emptive intervention, I noticed Max giving Sam a hug and telling him "We have to stick together."

This isn't the first time I've been taken aback by Max's reactions, and questioned the legitimacy of typecasting people on the spectrum.

"He will not be like other kids. He will not form close relationships. He will be marginalized forever."

This is what was implied — if not stated outright — when he was diagnosed at age three. It's the Kool-Aid we all drank.

But despite the social communication challenges that define this upsurging developmental disorder that affects one kid in 66 — mostly boys — Max has proven time and again his ability to rise above his perceived limitations to strike a new chord for autonomy.

The reason is simple: At every step of the way — in school, at home, at camps and swimming lessons — Max has had the benefit of a government-sanctioned autism program that wasn't hell bent on sticking it to the very kids it was designed to support.

Oh, I know. The Progressive Conservative government blinked Thursday when Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod — after six weeks of relentless blowback — tweaked their misguided, mean-spirited rewrite of the Liberal plan with "enhancements" that include:

•A six-month pause on funding cuts.

•The elimination of clawbacks based on income.

•The inclusion of services such as speech, physio and occupational therapy.

•Promises to consult about additional supports for higher-needs kids.

It's a minor victory for those on the front lines, but the major issues remain: Annual and lifetime funding caps, age restrictions and a misguided one-size-fits-all model that makes no sense for a disorder where no two kids have the same issues.

It's like something Big Moose would write on the back of a napkin at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe.

$140,000 for every child on the spectrum? It sounds great until you consider:

• One year of intensive behavioural therapy can run up to $80,000.

• There are annual caps of $20,000 for kids five and under.

• These caps are reduced to a piddly $5,000 once a kid turns six.

• The average diagnosis age is four or five.

Which means that when the Progressive Conservative plan kicks off six months from now, kids with higher needs will see the evidence-based therapy they need cut by 75 per cent or more, with no replacement in sight.

It's like throwing peanuts at an elephant and shouting "Enjoy your dinner!"

Oh, I know. It seems like a lot of money. I get the emails: "Why do these spoiled autism parents feel so entitled? Why don't you shut up and say thank you? Get off your high horses!"

But try telling that to the guardians of an eight-year-old who can't communicate verbally, isn't toilet trained and requires constant intervention to avoid whacking himself in the head or running into traffic.

It's this demographic — up to half the kids on the spectrum — that will end up costing the province a lot more in the long run if they aren't positioned for success now.

I'm not speaking for myself. With a lower-needs kid who functions well at school, understands the concept of irony and gazes with wide-eyed wonder when presented with the latest "Dog Man" graphic novel, he can skate by with minimal supports and a lot of advocating on our part.

Which is why I've been able to champion the "autism is a difference — not a disability" model while fellow spectrum dwellers react with panicky desperation.

But as the protests against the Ford government have continued through snow, sleet and rain, and the autism community learns to speak with one voice, I'm not as cocky as I used to be.

Come on, unless it's your kid, you don't really know what the challenges are, or how best to address them, something the PC government is learning — like the Liberals before them — as they're forced to walk back from every damaging, cost-cutting pronouncement.

The truth is, most people don't have a clue about life on the spectrum, an unsurprising revelation given pop-culture clichés that include:

• Designer Autism, in which celebrities like Daryl Hannah and Dan Aykroyd wake up one day and — lounging on luxurious silk sheets — decide "Holy smokes, I have autism!" without a shred of evidence to back them up. Hallelujah.

• TV Autism, where endearing characters such as Sheldon on "The Big Bang Theory" and the lovelorn teenager on "Atypical" make comical, deadpan observations tinged with irony. (I would have included the autistic surgeon on "The Good Doctor" but Freddie Highmore's depiction is surprisingly nuanced.)

•Tragic Autism, encapsulated by front-page newspaper stories about hysterical parents dropping off their high-needs kids at government shelters because their lives have become a living hell.

Most kids with autism, in my experience, fall somewhere in the middle — filled with potential that can be nurtured with proper supports, but easily squandered without them.

Do they all need $80,000 worth of therapy a year?

Of course not.

Does the level of support required diminish over time?

That's the expectation.

Are they going to go quietly into that good night when the funding tap dries up at 18, never to be heard from again?

Ha, ha. That sounds like the premise of a science-fiction movie.

To be fair, coming up with an autism plan that doesn't spark passionate disapproval is no easy feat.

The previous Liberal government, with its endless wait lists and lack of checks and balances, was certainly no gold standard.

But kids such as Max — bright, curious with a whimsical sense of humour (another quality he's not supposed to possess) — could still get what they needed to thrive and survive.

Not to say there aren't challenges. Autism isn't a diagnosis handed out because your kid is having a bad day.

But things evolve, change can happen and the "tragedy" narrative becomes irrelevant when kids are given proper supports.

Denying them these supports, as the current government continues to do with its budget caps and age cut-offs, is like denying glasses to a kid with fuzzy vision or university access to an impoverished genius.

Kids with autism are brilliant. They deserve respect. And compassion. And a shot at greatness.

Their parents shouldn't have to sell their homes to access supports. They shouldn't have to move to other provinces or take second and third jobs, or go into debt up to their eyeballs.

"Four long years" — that's what minister MacLeod told autism service providers to expect if they didn't manufacture a phoney quote in support of a program they all knew was flawed.

But with Thursday's announcement that the government is rethinking its plan, it's clear the emperor has no clothes, the platitudes of our Boss Hogg premier are losing traction and the autism community is discovering its power as a voice for positive change.

Four long years? The Progressive Conservatives got that right. They just didn't know they were talking about themselves.

jrubinoff@therecord.com

Twitter: @JoelRubinoff

jrubinoff@therecord.com

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-education-minister-lisa-thompson-increases-class-sizes-high-school-benefits-1.5064285

Larger high school class sizes will make Ontario students more resilient, education minister says

Lisa Thompson defends education changes in Metro Morning interview

Muriel Draaisma · CBC News · Posted: Mar 20, 2019 1:46 PM ET | Last Updated: 11 hours ago

Ontario Education Minister Lisa Thompson says larger high school class sizes will benefit students by increasing their resiliency and coping skills. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

Ontario Education Minister Lisa Thompson says increasing the average size of high school classes will benefit students across the province by making them more resilient.

"When students are currently preparing to go off to post-secondary education, we're hearing from professors and employers alike that they're lacking coping skills and they're lacking resiliency," Thompson told CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Wednesday.

"By increasing class sizes in high school, we're preparing them for the reality of post-secondary as well as the world of work."

Last week, the Progressive Conservative government announced its plans to boost the average class size for grades 9 to 12 to 28, up from the current average of 22. The changes are proposed for the 2019-2020 school year, although the government is still consulting on the changes.

Ontario's class size increase could cut more than 1,000 teaching jobs, TDSB estimates

Class size changes, new math and sex-ed programs part of Ontario's education revamp

You can listen to Thompson's full interview, which addresses a number of changes to the education system, in the player below:

Metro Morning

Education Minister Lisa Thompson discusses proposed class size change

00:00 14:28

Minister defends changes, says they will help student resiliency 14:28

At Wednesday's question period, NDP Education Critic Marit Stiles criticized Thompson's comments on Metro Morning.

"I guess that's a tough love approach," said Stiles, who represents Toronto's Davenport riding.

"Does the minister actually believe that she is doing students a favour by taking away their teachers?"

Thompson replied that she rejects Official Opposition's position and said the government is actually making an investment in education.

"We are going to be standing by our teachers," Thompson said.

Consultations guiding change, minister says

When pressed on whether or not larger classes would be good for students, Thompson told Metro Morning she was told by teachers and employers that larger high school class sizes are beneficial for students.

NDP MPP Marit Stiles, who represents Toronto Davenport, asked Thompson: 'Does the minister actually believe that she is doing students a favour by taking away their teachers?' (Government of Ontario)

"In speaking to some teachers as well, when it comes to the group work and the teamwork that they want to facilitate in their classrooms, that ideal number is between 26 and 28," she said.

Larger high school class sizes will also bring Ontario in line with other provinces and territories, Thompson said.

"This change will align Ontario with other jurisdictions in Canada," she said.

Thompson said the Ontario government has decided to make changes to class sizes after it consulted the public extensively. The education ministry has said the government sought opinions from employers, organizations, teachers, parents and students.

The government isn't planning to change class sizes for students in kindergarten to Grade 3, while there will be just one more student per classroom for Grades 4 to 8.

Despite that pledge, there are concerns about job losses.

According to a memo sent to Toronto District School Board trustees, the government's move will mean the loss of more than 1,000 teaching jobs.

While still an estimate, the province's largest school board said the changes could mean 216 fewer teachers in Grades 4 to 8 and 800 fewer teachers in high schools, although those jobs are expected to be shed through retirements and resignations instead of layoffs.

With files from Metro Morning

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-tweaks-controversial-autism-program-to-eliminate-income/

Ontario to modify reforms to autism program after backlash from parents

JEFF GRAY QUEEN'S PARK REPORTER

LAURA STONE

PUBLISHED MARCH 21, 2019 UPDATED 5 HOURS AGO

25 COMMENTS

Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Children, Community and Social Service, makes an announcement about Ontario's autism program, at Queen's Park, in Toronto, on March 21, 2019.

TIJANA MARTIN/THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Ontario government says it will modify its reforms to the province’s autism program, after more than a month of emotional protests by parents of children with the condition.

Lisa MacLeod, the Progressive Conservative government’s Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, said she and MPP Amy Fee – her parliamentary assistant and a mother of two autistic children – had convinced Premier Doug Ford to provide more “flexibility” for the funding of the autism program, allowing for a series of changes.

Among them: consultations on how to provide more funding for children with more acute needs, an end to the proposed income-testing regime for autism money, and the expansion of services eligible for funding to include speech and language therapy and physiotherapy.

“The last month has been incredibly emotional for the families with children with autism, and I understand that,” Ms. MacLeod told reporters at a news conference, adding that the changes are due to Ms. Fee’s advocacy. “We’re here today so we can move forward together.”

But Ms. MacLeod would not say how much more money, beyond the $331-million the government has already committed, the new autism program would cost. She did say that Ontario would now spend the most per capita on autism in North America.

The other changes include scrapping the income-testing provisions of her original reforms, meaning that the plan will now provide $20,000 in annual funding to all diagnosed children six and under, with older children receiving $5,000 annually. The range of services that parents can spend that money on is to be broadened, and include speech language pathology and physiotherapy.

Also, families currently receiving autism treatment will see their contracts extended by six months to ease the transition, she said.

Ms. MacLeod said she remained committed to the original goal of the changes announced last month, to move the 23,000 children on the waiting list for autism services into treatment.

The original package of changes prompted protests at Queen’s Parks and saw groups of parents, some sobbing quietly, pack the public galleries. Ms. MacLeod, who defended the plan repeatedly in Question Period, also faced death threats. Earlier this week, she told interim Liberal leader John Fraser in the legislature that she was consulting with parents and stakeholders on the issue and suggested that “enhancements” were in the works.

The original reforms, some of which were to take effect April 1, would see families get up to $140,000 for treatment, though funding was subject to annual caps that advocates say will fall far short of what’s needed for intensive therapy. Funding was originally to be based on age and household income, with families earning up to $250,000 eligible for funding. But only those with a household income of $55,000 or less will qualify for the full amount.

FOLLOW JEFF GRAY AND LAURA STONE ON TWITTER @JEFFREYBGRAY @L_STONE

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-globe-editorial-in-ontario-a-fight-over-class-sizes-is-the-wrong/

EDITORIAL

Globe editorial: In Ontario, a fight over class sizes is the wrong fight

INCLUDES CORRECTION

PUBLISHED MARCH 20, 2019 UPDATED 6 HOURS AGO

Just as spring surely follows winter, when a Progressive Conservative government is elected to power in Ontario, teachers’ strikes will ensue shortly thereafter.

That is where the province is now headed, and students and their parents should prepare to be collateral damage in a war between two constant combatants.

On one side is the PC government of Doug Ford, which announced Friday that it wants to increase average class sizes starting in the fall. On the other side are the province’s powerful teachers’ unions, who have declared that they will not submit to larger class sizes in their upcoming contract negotiations.

Class-size averages are protected in union contracts and can’t be changed arbitrarily by the provincial government. One union leader has vowed that any attempt to increase them will provoke “massive resistance."

“We’re absolutely not going to be in a position where we’re going to give away the class-size caps that we have achieved over years of negotiations,” said Harvey Bischof, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation.

Another union president, Liz Stuart of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, said her members will “use all means” to fight the changes.

This is a knee-jerk reaction, but it’s not surprising. The teachers’ unions have been the sworn enemy of the Ontario PCs since the era of Mike Harris.

They have aligned themselves with the Ontario Liberals and have been handsomely rewarded for their loyalty. In 2015, it came to light that, since 2008, Liberal governments had been secretly paying some of the unions’ negotiating expenses, to the tune of $3.74-million.

The unions would oppose pretty much anything a PC government proposed, but they are especially wary of any attempt to reduce their membership.

The government’s proposal, if implemented, could cut as many as 1,000 grade-school positions and 6,000 high-school positions over four years, according to the lobby group People for Education.

The government says the reductions will be done only through attrition, but there is no question that it will increase the workload of teachers who stay on.

So the stage is set for fall strikes, or, at the very least, work-to-rule protests and heated exchanges between the government and the teachers’ unions.

It will be disruptive and painful, but the real shame of it is that it will amount to a battle over next to nothing, at least in terms of what matters most (and it grieves us to have to remind both sides what that is): the children.

There is little evidence that a moderate increase or decrease in class size after Grade 3 has a substantial impact on student performance. One study in particular has shown that smaller classes can be important in preschool and Grades 1, 2 and 3, but there has never been conclusive research demonstrating that an increase or decrease of four or five students in higher grades made a significant difference.

The Ford government wants to increase average class sizes for Grades 4 to 8 by one student, and for Grades 8 to 12 by six students. It is not changing class sizes in the critical earlier years.

If the two sides allow this one issue to degenerate into strikes or lockouts, students will be the big losers. They risk missing part of their school year, without the prospect of being better off for it in the long run.

The government, on the other hand, stands to cut its cost by hundreds of millions of dollars. For a government that promised to shrink the provincial budget without ever explaining its plans to do so, this counts as a potential windfall.

As well, both sides stand to gain politically from a fight. The Ford PCs would be delighted to feast on the lazy populism that sustains them by battling the unions in the name of “the people,” while the unions can score points by bravely resisting another heartless PC government. It’s a simplistic ideological matchup made in Twitter heaven.

But making class size a hill to die on, as the two sides appear to be doing, is a failure on both their parts. Public schools serve a critical purpose, and signs – such as Ontario students’ falling math scores – suggest that all is not well. Education deserves to be managed in a thoughtful fashion, and not used as a pawn in some tired political game.

Editor’s note: (March 21, 2019) An earlier version of this article incorrectly said the Ford government wants to increase the average class size for Grades 8 to 12 by four students. In fact, it is by six students.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/university-toronto-suicide-campus-1.5061809?cmp=newsletter-news-digests-toronto

'It doesn't feel human': Students angry U of T not acknowledging campus suicides

One day after the protest, the university has issued a statement saying a student 'fell to his death'

Shanifa Nasser · CBC News · Posted: Mar 18, 2019 8:11 PM ET | Last Updated: March 19

Dozens of students demonstrated outside the halls of power at the University of Toronto on Monday, calling on the school to acknowledge what they say is a mental-health crisis on campus. (Mehrdad Nazarahari/CBC)

Students at the University of Toronto say they know one of their fellow classmates took his own life on campus over the weekend.

Only the school itself won't say the word "suicide" out loud.

"It's been U of T's recent trend to kind of not acknowledge and address the suicides that take place," said Shobhit Singh, a second-year electrical and computer engineering student.

Singh was among dozens of students who stood outside Simcoe Hall, which houses the office of the president, to grieve the death of one of their own and call for action after a string of suicides they say have gone unacknowledged over the past year.

"I think this is possibly the third or the fourth time since last year since this sort of incident has happened. And I think we've had enough," said Singh.

'Mental health doesn't work within a limit'

Inside, dozens more sat on the floor, lining the hallway with signs in hand, hoping their protest would prompt some acknowledgment by the school of the tragedy and the need for urgent change.

"We want to send a very clear message that we are hoping for open dialogue between the president and the U of T student body in order to enact sweeping mental health reforms," said first-year student Oliver Daniel.

Sheila Rasouli, a third-year neuroscience student, said she has written to senior administration officials, calling for 21 changes to the system, including:

More health and wellness staff.

Increased hours around exam time.

Shorter wait times.

Check-in emails from wellness staff for students who stop attending sessions abruptly.

Online profiles for staff that list what languages they can offer services in.

"Mental health doesn't work within a limit; it doesn't work within a set number and automatically you're fixed," she said.

Toronto police confirm they were called to the university Saturday at 8:40 p.m. ET. Officers on the scene did not deem the death to be suspicious in nature and don't believe any criminality was involved, Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook told CBC News.

Students decry lack of resources

In a tweet Monday, the University of Toronto acknowledged something had happened, citing "the recent incident at the Bahen Centre," directing students to its campus services and various on- and off-campus crisis lines.

University of Toronto

✔

@UofT

Members of our community may have been affected by the recent incident at the Bahen Centre. At this time, we wish to respect the privacy of the individual involved and acknowledge the profound effect on family, friends and colleagues. (1/5)

12:16 PM - Mar 18, 2019

Twitter Ads info and privacy

113 people are talking about this

But first-year political science student Brian Hao, for one, said the resources available simply aren't enough.

Hao knew the student who died — and knows all too well the toll taken by mental-health issues if left unchecked. He felt compelled to share his story with CBC Toronto in the hope of bringing light to a problem he says too many are silent about.

Students say wait times to access counselling can often be about a month long, with the number of appointments capped to about a handful. (Mehrdad Nazarahari/CBC)

"I've been dealing with depression and anxiety since Grade 10. It was fine, then it was really bad, then it was fine again. But ultimately during Grade 12 exams, I had to go see a doctor to keep myself medically safe, just to make sure I didn't do anything rash ... Because suicidal thoughts were there."

Metro Morning

U of T student talks about his friend who died by suicide and the need for more mental health supports on campus

LISTEN

00:00 07:50

We hear from a U of T student who participated in a protest yesterday calling for better mental health support for students. He lost a friend over the weekend to a suicide on campus. 7:50

Still, he said, when he arrived at the university, he didn't know where to turn for help. It wasn't until he found himself consumed by stress in a moment of crisis, sitting on St. George Street at 2 a.m. in shorts and a hoodie, that he came to know about the resources available.

But even then, said Hao, "You feel so discouraged to try to contact anyone, because it just seems like an office with a phone number, an email, a fax line — it doesn't feel human."

Joshua Grondin

@joshgrondin_96

They ask, how could this could happen at U of T? Throughout my undergrad, I:

- had a medical note get rejected by my prof for not “looking sick”

- was almost put on involuntary leave

- was told I reached my max number of visits at health and wellness

That’s how.

1,608

12:02 AM - Mar 18, 2019

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386 people are talking about this

Beyond that, said students, the wait time for counselling can often be about a month, with the number of appointments capped to about a handful.

Also irksome to students: a mandated leave policy approved just under a year ago, for students at risk of harm to themselves or others where mental health may be involved — something the university has said is "not meant to be punitive."

'It's never going to be enough'

Janine Robb, the school's executive director of health and wellness, said she couldn't confirm either a suicide or a death, but the family involved requested the details be kept private.

"Something happened on campus," she said, adding only it was "tragic incident," and the university is working to try to fast track access to wellness services for who may have witnessed it or who are affected.

Asked to comment on students' concerns about a lack of available resources, Robb said she hadn't heard exactly what the concerns are, but believes the university's approach needs to be proactive rather than reactive.

First-year political science student Brian Hao knows the student who died — and knows all too well the toll wrought by mental health issues if left unchecked. (Mehrdad Nazarahari/CBC)

"We can continue to throw counsellors, psychiatrists, medical doctors at this issue, and it's never going to be enough," she said.

"We've got to skills build, we've got to give them opportunities to develop better coping strategies. They need to be more connected with others on campus."

In a statement Tuesday, the school's vice-provost Sandy Welsh acknowledged "a student fell to his death."

"We realize the growing need for mental health services on our campuses and in the wider community. We continue to put in place measures to help students who we know are facing a range of mental health issues. We are offering counselling to various student groups, and crisis workers are also available," the statement said.

'We need to talk about what happened': UW to release report on student mental health

University of Alberta students rally for more mental health support

But Hao believes until the problem of student suicides is brought out into the open, it will only grow.

Despite talking to the student who took his life only a few days earlier, Hao said he simply couldn't tell he was struggling.

"This subject is so not talked about, so taboo, that it really could be somebody living down the hall.

"It could be your friend, your classmate — it could be you."

1 in 19: New study shines light on reality of suicide among new Ontario moms, moms-to-be

What a TTC worker told a man on subway tracks to bring him back from brink

Where to get help

Canada Suicide Prevention Service

Toll-free 1-833-456-4566

Text: 45645

Chat: crisisservicescanada.ca

In French: Association québécoise de prévention du suicide: 1-866-APPELLE (1-866-277-3553)

Kids Help Phone:

Phone: 1-800-668-6868

Text: TALK to 686868 (English) or TEXTO to 686868 (French)

Live Chat counselling at www.kidshelpphone.ca

Post-Secondary Student Helpline:

Phone: 1-866-925-5454

Good2talk.ca

Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre

If you're worried someone you know may be at risk of suicide, you should talk to them, says the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. Here are some warning signs:

Suicidal thoughts.

Substance abuse.

Purposelessness.

Anxiety.

Feeling trapped.

Hopelessness and helplessness.

Withdrawal.

Anger.

Recklessness.

Mood changes.

With files from Taylor Simmons

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-class-size-change-could-lead-to-layoffs-1.5060829?cmp=newsletter-news-digests-toronto

Ontario's class size increase could cut more than 1,000 teaching jobs, TDSB estimates

Education ministry still holding consultations on changes with parents and school boards

CBC News · Posted: Mar 18, 2019 10:44 AM ET | Last Updated: March 18

The Toronto District School Board says the Ontario government's changes to average class sizes will mean fewer teachers. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

137 comments

The Ford government's decision to increase average class sizes will mean losing more than 1,000 teaching jobs, according to a memo sent to Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustees.

While still a preliminary estimate, the province's largest school board says the significant changes announced last week could mean 216 fewer teachers in Grades 4 to 8, and 800 fewer teachers in high schools.

Class size changes, new math and sex-ed programs part of Ontario's education revamp

The government announced the changes to Ontario's education system on Friday, including increased intermediate and high school class sizes, new elementary math and sex-ed curricula and a province-wide ban on cellphones in the classroom during instructional time.

As part of the government's new education plan, the average class size requirement for secondary Grades 9 to 12 will be adjusted to 28, up from the current average of 22.

Meanwhile, the average class size for intermediate Grades 4 to 8 will increase to 24.5, up slightly from 23.84.

Job losses expected to come from retirements, resignations

However, the job losses will not come from immediate layoffs, the memo said. That's because the government is providing funding for a four-year transition period.

"Class size reductions can only be a result of retirements, resignations or other voluntary leaves during this period," the memo said.

"There will be no involuntary job losses," said Education Minister Lisa Thompson on Monday.

Thompson said they will be consulting with school boards in the coming weeks to identify their number of retirements, resignations and deployments.

Education Minister Lisa Thompson took reporters' questions after Question Period on Monday. (CBC)

During the transition, the government said it will have an extra $1.6 billion for school boards over the next three years for "attrition protection to support maintaining teaching positions, where needed, so that reductions can be managed through teacher attrition and voluntary leaves."

"We're going to work with them to make sure those teachers don't lose their jobs if the numbers don't mesh," Thompson said.

Ontario wants to ban phones in the classroom. Critics wonder how that will be enforced

Across the province, Harvey Bischof, President of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, said Friday the government's plan will affect about 5,500, or about 20 per cent, of high school teachers in publicly-funded systems.

Those jobs include 3,600 OSSTF positions, he said, which "cannot possibly be absorbed without a significant impact on student learning and success."

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association said Friday that the change will "result in the loss of approximately 5,000 teaching positions in Catholic schools."

Thompson said they are trying to align Ontario's classroom sizes with other jurisdictions across Canada.

'Dramatic' reduction

The opposition attacked the proposed changes and "dramatic" reduction in teachers at Queen's Park on Monday.

"The minister said no job losses," said NDP education critic Marit Stiles.

Education Minister Lisa Thompson responded there would be no involuntary job losses, and accused Stiles of pulling numbers "out of the cloud."

The proposed changes include increased intermediate and high school class sizes, new elementary math and sex-ed curricula and a province-wide ban on cellphones in the classroom during instructional time.(hub.jhu.edu)

Stiles, citing the TDSB memo, said it's clear what will happen. "The minister wants to argue that when somebody retires and [that job is not filled], that's not a job lost," said Stiles.

"Tell that to the teachers who won't be getting a job."

Thompson accused the NDP of "fear mongering."

The TDSB memo also noted funding cuts for secondary programming will impact another 82 teaching jobs.

The board estimates the changes, which include other funding cuts, would save the province between $20 and $25 million.

The government changes come after a months-long consultation process that, according to PC officials, obtained feedback from 72,000 different stakeholders, including educators, parents and unions.

The Ministry of Education is still holding consultations about the changes until May 31.

https://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2019/03/17/ontarios-plan-to-raise-class-sizes-
will-lead-to-loss-of-800-public-high-school-teaching-jobs-in-toronto-tdsb-document-shows.html

Ontario’s plan to raise class sizes will lead to loss of 800 public high school teaching
jobs in Toronto, TDSB document shows

By Paul Hunter Feature Writer

Sun., March 17, 2019

The Ontario government’s blueprint to increase class sizes will mean the loss of approximately
800 public high school teaching positions in Toronto, according to a TDSB document obtained
by the Star.

It’s a number that, according to a local teachers union executive, would decimate the city’s
secondary school system

Education Minister Lisa Thompson unveiled changes to Ontario’s education system Friday,
including a back-to-basics math curriculum.
Education Minister Lisa Thompson unveiled changes to Ontario’s education system Friday,
including a back-to-basics math curriculum. (CHRIS YOUNG / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

“No government cuts what amounts to close to 20 per cent of the expert classroom staff
from programming and at the same time says that they are doing their best to help students
succeeed,” said Leslie Wolfe, head of the Toronto local of the Ontario Secondary School
Teachers’ Federation.

“This, to me, is a decimation. They are in the process of manufacturing a crisis in publicly
funded education at the high school level.”

The plan, announced by Education Minister Lisa Thompson on Friday, will bump up the number of
students in each class from Grade 4 to Grade 12. At the secondary level, the average class
size will grow to 28 from 22. In the lower grades, an average of one student will be added
to each class.

The Education Ministry is still holding consultations with families, staff and school boards
but Friday’s announcement was to provide school boards with information to build their budgets
and staffing models.

Read more:

Ford government announces hikes to high school class sizes, but no changes to kindergarten

Opinion | Edward Keenan: Maybe it’s actually a good thing if I don’t understand my kids’ homework

The Toronto District School Board, in a document distributed to school trustees, did the basic math
on the announced changes to gauge the impact on how many teachers will be lost. It calculated that
there will be 216 fewer teachers in Grade 4 to Grade 8 in addition to the 800 at the secondary level.
Approximately another 82 high school positions will be gone with the reduction in funding for
secondary programs.

In protest, classroom teachers began an online campaign over the weekend encouraging each other to
wear black on Monday as a symbolic form of resistence.

More positions will also be lost starting in 2020-21 when students are required to take four of
their their 30 high school credits, one per year, through online learning. Wolfe said “it’s not
catastrophizing” to suggest that will mean 20 per cent of her federation’s almost 5,000 members
will ultimately be elimated under the government plan.

The reductions will take place over four years. Thompson said the changes will come through
retirements, resignations and other attrition. No teacher will lose their job due to the class-size
strategy, she said.

Still, that is a significant number of positions removed from the system, sparking concerns among
educators that smaller, specialized classes will have to be chopped and there will be less
opportunity for students.

TDSB chair Robin Pilkey said the numbers in the TDSB document are extremely preliminary and a
clearer indication of the impact of the government’s plan will come this week when the board does
staffing allocation for the next school year.

“We know it’s going to be significant,” she said. “We are concerned because we want to make sure
kids get as much opportunity as possible. Fewer teachers means fewer different types of classes.
The government has spent a lot of time talking about preparing kids for the future ... (but) if
there are fewer teachers, there’ll be larger classes and less opportunity — fewer courses, I
think, is kind of the logical conclusion. That’s going to be not great for kids who are trying
to figure out what to do with their future.”

To put the loss of teaching positions in perspective, Wolfe said there are approximately 100
secondary schools in Toronto and so that would mean an average of eight educators gone from each
school. Obviously, small schools wouldn’t be losing eight teachers but it offers an idea.

“What I really want to underscore,” she said, “is that while no one may be losing a job, people
need to understand that’s 800 fewer adults in our schools. It’s not about job loss, it’s about
the reduction and expertise in our schools. And it’s about the potential loss of programs that run
with smaller class sizes that serve students who need those smaller class sizes.”

Under the Ontario government’s proposal, which would save about $250 million in the first of year
of a four-year plan, class sizes from kindergarten to Grade 3 would maintain their current caps.

Thompson’s announcement Friday also included a back-to-basics math curriculum, a ban on cellphones
in classrooms for noneducational purposes and revisions to the health and sex-ed curriculum,
including clear provisions for opting out and the opportunity for families to use the eduational
materials online to teach the subject at home.

The e-learning classes will be even larger than 28, with an average of 35 students, according to
a ministry memo obtained by the Star. Some educators expressed concern because there are students
who don’t have a computer at home while others would miss the benefit of personal interaction
that research has shown helps students succeed.

Paul Hunter is a reporter and feature writer based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter:
@hunterhockey

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2019/03/17/we-have-a-system-in-crisis-says-brant-childrens-aid
-society-after-cuts-lead-to-26-workers-being-laid-off.html

‘We have a system in crisis,’ says Brant children’s aid society after cuts lead to 26 workers
being laid off

By Sandro Contenta Feature Writer

Sun., March 17, 2019

The Ontario government is placing vulnerable children in danger by forcing cuts resulting in 26
child protection workers being laid off at the Brant children’s aid society, the agency’s executive
director says.

The job cuts come as the Brantford area faces perhaps the worst opioid addiction epidemic in the
province, one that has swelled the number of children served by the child protection agency.

“When governments cut child welfare services (managers, front line staff, and support services),
children ultimately die or are allowed by society to live in unbearable, violent and neglectful
conditions,” wrote Andrew Koster, executive director of Brant Family and Children’s Services.
“When governments cut child welfare services (managers, front line staff, and support services),
children ultimately die or are allowed by society to live in unbearable, violent and neglectful
conditions,” wrote Andrew Koster, executive director of Brant Family and Children’s Services.
(JIM RANKIN / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)

Andrew Koster, executive director of Brant Family and Children’s Services, expressed the risks
in stark terms in an open letter to the community last Thursday, the day the workers were notified
of the layoffs.

“When governments cut child welfare services (managers, front line staff, and support services),
children ultimately die or are allowed by society to live in unbearable, violent and neglectful
conditions,” Koster wrote.

“With higher caseloads and tight timelines, workers are forced to move from one crisis to another
instead of planning and working proactively with families to prevent future incidents,” he added.

“Despite best efforts, children fall through the cracks and suffer the consequences of insufficient
resources.”

Read more:

How one child welfare agency is building trust

Through the eyes of a CAS front-line worker

Use of 'behaviour-altering' drugs widespread in foster, group homes

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The cri de coeur comes from an executive with almost five decades of experience in Ontario’s child
protection system. He says other children’s aid societies are facing similar budgetary pressures
and fears the system is at a breaking point.

“We have a system in crisis,” Koster said in an interview Sunday.

Caroline Newton, spokesperson for the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies, says all
eyes will be on the provincial budget this spring. Finance Minister Vic Fedeli has signalled the
government will act to reduce a deficit he places at $13.5 billion.

“We’re watching the coming provincial budget for how communities will be supported to keep
vulnerable children and families safe,” Newton said in an interview.

“We have to have the capacity to respond when children are at risk — that’s our mandate,” Newton
added. “We’re like the police; we don’t get to say, ‘Sorry, no one is at the station.’”

The Brantford area had the highest rate of emergency ward visits in Ontario due to opioid overdoses
— 141 per 100,000 people in 2017, compared to a provincial rate of 54. Some child protection workers
bring Naloxone to home visits, in case they find overdose victims that need the life-saving antidote.

The Brant job cuts come after the provincial government eliminated the office of the Provincial
Advocate for Children and Youth, which investigated the mistreatment and death of children in care.

The government transferred some of the advocate’s responsibilities to the ombudsman’s office. But
Irwin Elman, whose role as provincial advocate ends April 1, says the ombudsman’s investigative powers
are far more limited than those of his office, particularly when it comes to children who die or are
harmed while in care.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Ontario is suffering a great loss with the closing of our Office,”
Elman said in a goodbye statement released last week.

The Brant job cuts were imposed by a $1.7-million deficit caused largely by the ministry’s policies,
said Koster, whose agency is based in Brantford, hometown of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, west
of Hamilton.

For example, the previous Liberal government paid 75 per cent of costs when foster parents committed
to giving children a permanent home, either through adoption or caring for them until they’re 18
years old. Last fall, Premier Doug Ford’s government slashed that funding for all children’s aid
agencies to 25 per cent of costs, Koster says.

For the Brant society, that meant a $300,000 annual reduction in provincial funding, he adds.

The government also reduced Brant’s funding by $700,000 because 50 of the agency’s children were to
be transferred to a newly formed Indigenous children’s aid society. But the transfer process is
slow and many of those children are still with Brant.

Koster fully supports the set up of an Indigenous child welfare agency in the Brantford area. But
he’s angered by the government’s refusal to reimburse funding for the children Brant continues to
care for due to the slow transfer process.

Brant also spent $400,000 on hiring and training staff to operate a new centralized database called
CPIN. The former Liberal government ordered all children’s aid societies to implement the system,
which allows societies to better share information.

But Koster said Brant had to revert to using the old data system when the new Indigenous agency had
concerns with the data being collected under CPIN and refused to adopt it. The government now
refuses to reimburse Brant the $400,000 it spent.

“We’re not in a deficit for anything we’ve done,” Koster says. “It’s because of ministry decisions.”

Koster says his agency, which has about 300 children in foster care, would have run out of money to
pay staff by March 22. He says ministry officials played hardball, and were prepared to see the
agency shut down until early April, when funding for the new fiscal year would be provided.

“That was the most disturbing thing for me,” he says, adding he implemented the layoffs to avoid the
shutdown scenario.

Provincial efforts to identify cost reductions and help Brant stay within its budget began under the
previous Liberal government in 2015, Derek Rowland, press secretary to Lisa MacLeod, Minister of
Children, Community and Social Services, said in an email to the Star. Yet Brant continues to
struggle to stay within budget.

Rowland described the safety of vulnerable children as the provincial government’s “utmost
priority.”

“The ministry does not pay off or forgive children’s aid society deficits,” ministry
spokesperson Trell Huether said in a separate email to the Star, adding that societies determine
their own staffing. By provincial regulation, societies must balance their budgets. Huether said two-
thirds of them do so.

The funding formula for societies, Huether added, is based on the socio-economic needs of a
community, the number of children in care and the volume of abuse investigations it conducts. In
2018-19, the Brant societies received $23.8 million from the government, a 1.8-per-cent increase
from the previous fiscal year, Huether said.

The ministry spends about $1.5 billion annually on a child protection system that serves some
14,000 kids taken from abusive or neglectful parents and placed in foster or group homes. There
are 49 children’s aid societies in Ontario, including 11 Indigenous ones, according to the
ministry’s website.

https://ottawasun.com/news/provincial/pcs-unveil-ontarios-new-sex-ed-curriculum/wcm/5f942b20-2a16-44a3-8352-764fd2781257

PCs unveil Ontario's new sex-ed curriculum, raise high school class sizes

Antonella Artuso

Brian Lilley

Published: March 15, 2019

Updated: March 15, 2019 2:39 PM EDT

LILLEY UNLEASHED: WHAT WILL GERALD SAY? All eyes & ears on Butts' Justice

Committee testimony!5:20

The province’s new sex education curriculum will push back learning about gender identity and sexual orientation by a few grades, but will teach students about the need for sexual consent in the elementary years.

Education Minister Lisa Thompson on Friday unveiled the new curriculum, which will introduce the topics of gender identity and gender expression in the second half of Grade 8, a few grades later than the controversial 2015 curriculum.

Abstinence, bullying, cannabis, concussions and family and health relationships will be covered in Grades 7 and 8.

In Grades 1-3, students will learn mental health concepts like resiliency and healthy eating, the government says.

Personal safety, concussions, caring behaviours, preventing bullying and the proper names for body parts including genitalia are all topics that will begin in Grade 1.

Students will be taught about puberty, Grades 4-6; consent, Grades 4-6; sexual reproduction, Grade 5; and sexual orientation, Grades 5-6.

New to the curriculum for Grades 2 and 3 is body image, consent and online safety.

“To ensure parents are respected, the government will provide an opt-out policy similar to other jurisdictions,” a government statement says. “The (education) ministry will also be introducing online modules for parents who may want to introduce topics at home whenever their child is ready. Both of these options will be available for the 2019-20 year.”

The wide-ranging announcement confirmed, as earlier reported by the Toronto Sun’s Brian Lilley, that the province’s math curriculum will get a complete rewrite to remove the emphasis on discovery math.

“Our government has listened and we are going to get it right,” Thompson said, accusing the previous Liberal government of pouring $5 billion into “social experiments” like discovery math that she said didn’t produce results.

Seniority in teacher hiring will no longer be as significant a factor – for example, French teachers ought to be able to speak French, Thompson said.

As well, the government is significantly increasing class sizes in the later years of high school.

Thompson said that while she agrees with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) that class sizes in Kindergarten to Grade 3 should stay the same, the government intends to increase the average class sizes in Grades 4-8 by one student.

Students in Grades 9-12 will see the biggest change, as the class size average will grow to 28 from 22.

“Not one teacher … will lose their job,” Thompson said.

Liberal MPP Mitzie Hunter called the education rewrite a lemon.

“The PC education plan will be disastrous for Ontario’s high school students. If this was a term paper it would get an F,” Hunter said in a statement. “The Ford plan to raise the average class size will disproportionately harm small and rural communities.

“Because it’s an average class size this allowed schools to offer specialized courses that would have lower attendance. These courses will now be on the chopping block in small and rural school boards.”

aartuso@postmedia.com

https://ottawasun.com/news/local-news/cornwall-mpp-stands-by-staffs-decision-to-call-police-on-autism-parents/wcm/8f6e9e5a-7262-4b00-a0cc-16a316826954

AUTISM PARENTS: Cornwall MPP says staff was right to call cops

Alan S. Hale, Cornwall Standard Freeholder

Published: March 15, 2019

Updated: March 15, 2019 1:32 PM EDT

Cornwall area Tory MPP Jim McDonell Lois Ann Baker / Postmedia

CORNWALL — Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry MPP Jim McDonell is standing behind his staff member’s decision to call the police on a group of parents came into his Cornwall constituency office with their children earlier this week.

The parents came in to demand they get to speak to someone about the changes the Progressive Conservative government is making to the funding model for therapy and support programs for kids with autism.

McDonell is recovering from hip surgery and was not at the office, but when the parents refused to leave until someone spoke with them, the situation became testy.

Cornwall police were summoned to have the parents and their children removed.

In a statement issued Thursday, McDonell did not apologize for the incident.

Instead, he indicated he understands people were upset, but that his staff did not feel safe, which is why they called the police.

“Many times, these discussions are very emotional, and those emotions can run high. I will always ensure that both my constituents and my staff feel safe during these meetings. In the case that occurred this week, there were many people who entered the office space, and my staff felt that they needed support to ensure their safety,” said McDonell.

McDonell also said his office has set up a followup meeting with the parents, which he said he looks forward to.

But Krysta Ryan, one of the parents who went to the MPP’s office, said she has not yet been contacted about a followup meeting and finds McDonell’s response unsatisfactory.

“I would like to see an actual response and not just something he’s reading that sounds like what every other Progressive Conservative politician has said,” replied Ryan. “I have not been contacted by his office, and the fact that they think that the police were necessary to maintain a safe environment is disgusting.”

McDonell’s executive assistant, Marilyn McMahon-Ayerst, declined to comment on Tuesday’s events.

A bit after 3 p.m. on Tuesday Ryan and two friends who, like her, have children with severe forms of autism, arrived at the office in Cornwall. They had brought their children and demanded to speak with someone with in-depth knowledge of the autism funding changes and their impact on services provided through the education system.

“I went in, knowing he was ill … and said ‘I understand he’s ill, but I just want to talk to someone about the changes to the education system along with the autism plan,’” recalled Ryan.

A staffer went into an interior office and then re-emerged to tell the parents that there was no one available to speak with them, and offered to take their information and have someone contact them.

Ryan said she agreed, and then proceeded to lay out her concerns about the autism funding changes, including the fact her five-year-old son depends heavily on public support services and therapy. The funding changes that are set to come into effect next months, she said, means he will lose access to the support he needs.

According to Ryan, while she was speaking to the staffer, one of the children began playing with the blinds inside the office. All the children were autistic and non-verbal.

She said McMahon-Ayerst emerged from her office, told them to stop messing with the blinds and that the group of them needed to leave.

Three Cornwall Police Service officers arrived at the scene and asked the parents to wait outside the office. No charges were laid, and Ryan praised the officers for their professionalism.

But she had harsher words for McMahon-Ayerst.

“I think part of it was that she over-reacted and frankly, I think she used the tactics she did to try and bully the parents,” said Ryan.

“I just wanted to speak to somebody, whether it was an assistant, someone to take down our information, or anyone with first-hand knowledge of the changes that can’t be misconstrued, but no one wanted to take the time to clarify anything,” she said.

The changes being made to the autism programming in Ontario are fairly opaque to those unfamiliar with the system, but the Progressive Conservatives say they are presenting them as necessary to fix the long wait lists experienced by other parents of children with autism the Liberal government failed to address.

Check Krysta Ryan’s Facebook account of her trip to MPP Jim McDonnell’s office. Note: Contains strong language.

— with files from Megan Gillis

ahale@postmedia.com

twitter.com/alan_s_hale

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/tvdsb-awaits-more-details-on-sweeping-changes-to-class-sizes-sex-ed

TVDSB awaits more details on provincial changes to class sizes, sex-ed

Heather Rivers

Updated: March 15, 2019

Education Minister Lisa Thompson, MPP for Huron-Bruce. File photo

The union representing Ontario’s secondary school teachers is slamming the province over its plans to increase class sizes while Southwestern Ontario’s largest school board is encouraged by proposed features of the new sex education curriculum, two of the sweeping reforms announced by Education Minister Lisa Thompson Friday.

Thompson announced the Progressive Conservative government is raising the cap for high school classes to 28 students, six more than is currently allowed. It will also raise the cap by one student for Grades 4 to 8.

“Without warning the province has declared war on the public education system,” said Harvey Bischof, head of Ontario Secondary school Teacher’s Federation.

“This is a shocking and devastating announcement.”

Thompson said Ontario high schools have one of the lowest student-to-teacher ratios in the country and the change will be phased in over four years.

But others see job losses and the erosion of the education system.

“I am deeply concerned about what our students can expect in classrooms starting in September,” said Toronto New Democrat MPP Marit Stiles, her party’s education critic.

“This announcement amounts to a very significant reduction in teachers and. . . it will mean less one-on-one time for students with educators. We know more teachers mean a better outcome for our students.”

Southwestern Ontario’s largest school board is waiting to see the what the implications of the province’s newly announced class size shake-up will be.

“It is too early to determine the impact of changes announced today by the minister of education. TVDSB senior administrators are waiting for further details to be released by the province,” said Jeff Pratt, associate director of the Thames Valley District school board.

The board is pleased there will be no change in kindergarten to Grade 3 class sizes, and only one student will be added to Grades 4 to 8 class size caps. It is not clear yet what the impact will be of the announced change to secondary school class sizes.

Board officials are also encouraged by Thompson’s remarks about the concepts that will be covered in the province’s revamped health and physical education curriculum.

“In the meantime, the board looks forward to receiving more information about the changes announced by the minister today,” Pratt said.

The new sex-ed curriculum will replace an interim teaching plan based on 1998 materials that were put in place last year after the Progressive Conservatives repealed a 2015 curriculum from the previous Liberal government. The 2015 curriculum addressed consent, online bullying, sexting, same-sex relationships and gender identity.

The government said the new document will include teaching on abstinence, cannabis education and earlier discussions on body image and consent.

The province says parents will still be able to opt out of having their kids exposed to certain topics in the sex-ed class, and the ministry will issue online modules for those who want guidance on discussing those topics at home.

The full curriculum is expected to be released in May and implemented in September.

– with files from Canadian Press

hrivers@postmedia.com

www.twitter.com/HeatheratLFP

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-will-not-follow-ontario-s-lead-and-ban-cell-phones-in-class-education-minister-says-1.5055990?cmp=newsletter-news-digests-montreal

Quebec will not follow Ontario's lead and ban cell phones in class, education minister says

Starting in September, primary and secondary students in Ontario will not be allowed to have them in class

CBC News · Posted: Mar 14, 2019 7:22 AM ET | Last Updated: March 14

Starting in September, primary and secondary students in Ontario will not be allowed to have them in class.(Radio-Canada)

11 comments

Quebec Education Minister Jean-François Roberge says he has no plans to follow Ontario's lead when it comes to banning cell phones in classrooms.

Starting in September, primary and secondary students there will not be allowed to have them in class.

Ontario's Education Minister says the devices "distract from learning" and that in a recent public consultation, 97 per cent of respondents supported a ban.

Roberge is a former elementary school teacher. He says he doesn't want to interfere in the classroom on this issue.

Ontario to ban cellphones in classrooms next school year

Ontario wants to ban phones in the classroom. Critics wonder how that will be enforced

"It's not my plan to take a decision and to impose my plan with smartphones. I think it's a decision that should [be made by] teachers and principals," Roberge said Wednesday.

Since the Ontario decision, many critics have warned the Ford government that its plan will be ineffective and nearly impossible to enforce.

With files from Cathy Senay

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-education-system-changes-1.5057122

Class size changes, new math and sex-ed programs part of Ontario's education revamp

Province has committed to maintaining class size cap for kindergarten and primary grades

Lucas Powers · CBC News · Posted: Mar 15, 2019 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 30 minutes ago

Ontario's Progressive Conservative government revealed the details about its plans for the public education system Friday. (Brenna Owen)

The Ford government revealed significant changes to Ontario's education system on Friday, including increased intermediate and high school class sizes, new elementary math and sex-ed curricula and a province-wide ban on cellphones in the classroom.

"Our plan will modernize the classroom, protect the future of the education system and ensure that Ontario students will acquire the skills they need to build successful lives, families and businesses right here in Ontario," said Education Minister Lisa Thompson.

Ontario wants to ban phones in the classroom. Critics wonder how that will be enforced

Ford government recommends Ontario school boards freeze hiring ahead of upcoming budget

Thompson announced the reforms at a morning news conference at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto. The changes come after a months-long consultation process that, according to the government, obtained feedback from 72,000 different stakeholders, including educators, parents and unions.

The average class size requirement for secondary Grades 9 to 12 will be adjusted to 28, up from the current average of 22.

The increase would align Ontario "more closely to other jurisdictions across Canada," the government said in a news release.

Ontario high schools currently have one of the lowest student-to-teacher ratios in the country, Thompson added, and the change will be phased in over four years.

"Not one teacher — not one — will lose their job because of our class size strategy," Thompson told reporters, though she would not say whether the province would rely on attrition to cut costs.

Thompson also spoke about the changes on CBC's Power & Politics. You can watch that interview below:

Power and Politics

Significant changes coming to Ontario classrooms

00:00 07:48

Ontario Education Minister Lisa Thompson discusses significant changes to the province's education system. 7:48

'An inevitable conflict'

Harvey Bischof, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, bluntly disagreed with that assessment. According to him, the move will directly affect some 5,500, or about 20 per cent, of high school teachers in publicly funded systems province-wide, and about 3,600 OSSTF members.

"It's a sledgehammer blow to the education system in Ontario," Bischof said. "There is going to be a massive resistance."

Doug Ford hedges on promise that 'no one' will lose their job

Class size projections for high school grades are negotiated at the local level, and the government's changes ensure that there will be an "absolute impasse at bargaining tables," he said.

"They've set up an inevitable conflict in terms of negotiating collective agreements next round," Bischof said. "We're not going to back down on these class size projections that protect the quality of education for students."

He added that the ministry of education has refused to provide the OSSTF with definitive estimates of how many teachers will ultimately be impacted.

Meanwhile, the average class size for intermediate Grades 4 to 8 will increase to 24.5, up slightly from 23.84.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford promised this week that no "front-line" workers in the province, teachers included, would lose their jobs as a result of his government's effort to balance the budget. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association says the change will "result in the loss of approximately 5,000 teaching positions in Catholic schools."

"This means many schools will not be able to offer the same number and diversity of programs as they do today. Furthermore, some class sizes, including those in core subjects such as math, are likely to grow to more than 40 students," the OECTA said in a news release.

The government committed to maintaining the current caps on class sizes for kindergarten and primary grades at 29 and 23, respectively.

Changes to class sizes will be implemented over a period of four years, Thompson said.

Sex-ed overhaul

Meanwhile, Thompson revealed that gender identity and consent will be taught as part of a new sexual-education curriculum that will be introduced to schools by the fall. Gender identity, however, will now be introduced to students in Grade 8 rather than in Grade 2.

The revised curriculum will replace an interim teaching plan based on 1998 materials that were put in place last year after the Progressive Conservatives repealed a 2015 curriculum from the previous Liberal government.

Education Minister Lisa Thompson said the previous Liberal government tried to introduce "ideology" into Ontario classrooms with its changed to the province's math and sex-ed curricula. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

The 2015 curriculum addressed consent, online bullying, sexting, same-sex relationships and gender identity.

The province previously held an online consultation on the issue and an overwhelming majority of those who weighed in through that forum in the first day opposed the decision to scrap the 2015 curriculum.

Modern sex-ed curriculum has huge support among Ontario parents and students, consultations show

Thompson provided few details on how the government will ensure that children are learning certain topics if their parents opt-out of classroom lessons.

The "core focus," however, will be on "protecting students physically, socially and emotionally," Thompson told reporters.

The full curriculum is expected to be released in May and implemented in September.

'Back to basics' on math

Further, Ontario's new math curriculum will focus on "fundamentals," Thompson said, with a strong element of financial literacy. It too will be phased in over four years.

So-called "discovery math," introduced by the previous Liberal government, will no longer be used by teachers as a teaching method.

Ford government says full-day 'learning' will stay, but it won't necessarily be kindergarten

Ontario considers removing kindergarten, primary class size caps

Ontario high schools will also receive a revised curriculum on First Nations, Métis and Inuit studies, which the province said was developed in collaboration with Indigenous partners.

The government will also ban cellphones in classrooms during instructional time, starting next year, except for when teachers want to use cellphones as part of their lesson, for medical reasons and for students with special needs.

As part of its wider reforms, the government also plans to review hiring practices at school boards across the province. It says that current processes place too much emphasis on "seniority, rather than specific skills or previous performance, as the most important criteria in hiring."

The ministry says that "teacher mobility" was a common concern relayed during consultations it held in January. The government wants to increase transparency around hiring, and give boards and principals the authority to "hire teachers based on merit and fit for the role."

With files from Nick Boisvert and The Canadian Press

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/lifelong-learning-accounts-budget-1.5056828

Budget 2019 will create 'lifelong learning' accounts: sources

The program, modelled on one in Singapore, is meant to boost job retraining

David Cochrane · CBC News · Posted: Mar 14, 2019 3:17 PM ET | Last Updated: March 15

Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau takes questions from children from the Toronto and Kiwanis Boys and Girls Club after putting on his new budget shoes for a pre-budget photo opportunity in Toronto on Thursday, March 14, 2019. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

The federal government will establish personalized accounts to help Canadians pay for lifelong learning and skills development in next week's budget, CBC News has learned.

The specific details of the program weren't shared with CBC, but two government sources say the government's plan is modelled on a similar program in Singapore.

The Singapore SkillsFuture program sets up personal accounts to help anyone over the age of 25 pay for retraining and skills development.

Watch: Canadian Chamber of Commerce's chief economist on the upcoming budget

Power and Politics

What can we expect from the federal budget?

00:00 07:30

Canadian Chamber of Commerce's chief economist Trevin Stratton looks ahead to the federal budget and what it might mean for the economy. 7:30

Under the SkillsFuture program, individual accounts start with a government-funded opening credit of $500 with the promise of periodic top-ups. The credit can be used to help pay for training services selected from a list of pre-approved programs and institutions.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau hinted broadly at the program during a pre-budget event at a shoe repair shop in Toronto today. The Kensington Market shop's owner, Lorena Angola, had to take time off from her old job to retrain as a cobbler.

Liberals to introduce federal budget on March 19

"In our budget this year that's what we are going to be thinking about," Morneau said. "How do we help Canadians to take time off? How do we ensure that they can continue to live their life while they are taking time off? And how do they pay for their training?"

Government sources would not say how closely the financial support in the Canadian program would align with what Singapore is offering.

Skills development will be one of the four major themes of next week's budget, along with pharmacare, support for seniors and housing affordability.

Budget to be tabled Tuesday

Morneau announced last month that the final budget of the Trudeau government's current term will be tabled March 19.

"We know there's more to do. That's why I am so pleased to announce that March 19, we will be introducing budget 2019, the next steps in our plan to ensure middle-class optimism and an economy that works for all Canadians," Morneau said in the House of Commons.

A statement released by Morneau's office said the budget will focus on investments in people and communities and creating opportunities for future generations, although no specifics were offered.

The Business Council of Canada recently urged Morneau to include measures in the budget to make Canada more competitive and better able to handle the shocks of the next economic downturn.

BCC President and CEO Goldy Hyder said the council remains concerned about skills training, regulation, the energy sector, trade and Canada's fiscal sustainability.

"Canada's business leaders are concerned about Canada's economic future," Hyder said in a letter sent to the minister Tuesday.

"Budget 2019 is an important opportunity to introduce measures to help Canada reach its full potential while preparing for the next downturn."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/doug-ford-1.5057448

Doug Ford's government is a government of grifters: Robyn Urback

The education minister tried to pass off regular student funding dollars as an autism-specific boost

Robyn Urback · CBC News · Posted: Mar 15, 2019 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: March 15

With this Ontario government, you should always check your change. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

Doug Ford's government is a government of grifters.

It claims to be a truck-stop government: "For The People," and other nonsense. That's while holding $1,600-per-plate fundraisers — known as "cash-for-access" fundraisers back when the Liberals were doing it — after gutting the law that the previous administration put in place to stop wealthy stakeholders from purchasing access to provincial lawmakers. (After the Liberals had their fill, it should be noted.)

The Ford government lured supporters with frivolous promises of cheap beer, though its buck-a-beer program barely lasted a few months. And it pegged itself a careful steward of taxpayer dollars, while wasting resources on a vanity "news" channel, an unnecessary audit duplicating the work of the auditor general, and on a show trial of Liberal MPPs, for whom Ontario voters had already delivered a verdict through last June's election.

It's the political equivalent of a carnival-hand cajoling you to a ring toss, though none of the rings actually fit over the pegs and someone will steal your wallet out of your pocket on your last throw.

Of all of this government's swindles, however — and I should point out, the above is a non-exhaustive list — it offered perhaps the grimiest of grifts earlier this week.

'Additional funding'

Standing before reporters Monday, Education Minister Lisa Thompson announced what she referred to as "additional funding for our school boards" to accommodate students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There were some small nuggets: the expansion of after-school development programs, additional resources for teacher training, and so forth.

But leading them all was the "announcement" that boards will be eligible for an average of $12,300 for every new student with autism enrolled in school.

"This funding will allow school boards to make sure there are proper supports available during the transition from therapy to school," she said.

Sounds great, doesn't it? And coincidentally timed, too: A few days after parents rallied outside of Queen's Park to protest the government's changes on the autism file. Also right as teachers began expressing concern that cutbacks to therapy would mean students would be sent school unprepared, leaving teachers to somehow make up the gap.

So there was Thompson, standing by the carnival lights, announcing $12,300 per student to help ease the transition.

But here's the thing: This was not new money.

The $12,300 figure was projected back in August as the average per-pupil funding available for the 2018-2019 school year. This is up only slightly from the previous year, when the per-pupil figure was $12,100. But the increase had already happened — Thompson's "announcement" was an announcement of the status quo. The same funds.

And here's the other thing: This funding is not specific to students with autism. It is not even specific to students with special needs. The province offers school boards in Ontario $12,300 for any student newly enrolled in school.

That figure has nothing to do with autism services.

There are other grants under the umbrella of Special Purpose Grants that are intended for accommodating and supporting students with special needs. But Thomson only cited the $12,300 figure — the one that applies to every pupil.

The overall special education budget, meanwhile, remains around $3 billion.

Thompson's announcement was really a reiteration of existing funds that apply to all students — presented as a significant funding boost for children with ASD. A shiny trinket to mislead and distract angry parents.

Granted, if you read the fine print, you will notice one small change: School boards can apply for that $12,300 in the last few months of the school year if students with ASD enrol after April 1. Previously, boards would have had to wait until the next designated headcount date, which is Oct. 31.

That's it. That's the $12,300 announcement. A procedural change, sold as additional funds for students with autism. The government coupled it with a few small, but legitimate, resource boosts, and hoped no one noticed.

That was Monday.

Having sold casual onlookers on "additional" autism funding, the Ford grift packed up and moved along, repackaging a previously announced federal infrastructure program as a $30-billion initiative launched by Ontario. It then placated parents with a ban on cellphones in classrooms, which sounded like action — until you realized that the government left enforcement to schools, rendering it another impotent policy and spectacular distraction.

And there you have a small sample of the Ford government greasiness, reminding you that with this administration, you always check your change.

About the Author

Robyn Urback

Columnist

https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/vaccination-parents-1.5030564

I almost said 'no' to vaccinating my son. My doctor took the time to change that

I am vaccinated. I believe in vaccines. But I was crawling with anxiety when it came time to vaccinate my son

Tracy Hilliard · for CBC News · Posted: Feb 25, 2019 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: February 25

Hesitantly, I managed to say 'I believe in vaccines. I know they work. But I'm very scared right now. What happens if ... something happens?' (Tina Lovgreen/CBC)

A small amount of patience and understanding from a physician can change everything for a concerned parent. And that small effort can have a big impact on the larger issue of public health.

Right now there's a measles outbreak in Vancouver. The measles virus is incredibly contagious, and can cause lifelong and even deadly consequences.

Those of us who live in other provinces aren't necessarily safe. Ontario, where I live, has seen a pronounced drop in vaccination rates for measles. According to an 2016-2017 assessment, just 91 per cent of seven-year-olds are vaccinated compared to 94 per cent of 17-year-olds. And while those still might seem like good numbers, the required vaccination coverage to stop the spread of the measles is 95 per cent or more. All of that means that one infected person could cause a disaster here in Ontario, too.

I was one of those parents who almost said "no" to vaccinations. But my doctor changed all that in just a few minutes.

Online information war

Back in 2012, I was a first-time mom. I wasn't sleeping much. I was pumping milk every three hours because my son could not latch. And I was in the middle of an information war on the internet.

Late nights pumping were spent reading Facebook and "mommy blogs," giving me hope that I was doing all the right things, that I was "crunchy" enough to be a good mom. I wanted so badly to be a good mom. But the one thing that kept coming up in these groups was the outrage about vaccinations.

I am fully vaccinated. I believe in vaccines. I know how they work. I know they do not cause autism, and that anti-vaxxers had been spreading falsehoods about them. I recognized that they were taking VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System)-reported "possible side effects" to mean "this is exactly what will happen," but in the back of my mind, I also knew that they were not entirely risk-free. Vaccines can have side effects.

So as I prepared for my trip for my two-month-baby's wellness check, I felt nervous. What if all the nasty comments piled on me by internet anti-vaxxers came true? What if he was the rare exception to the rule, and today I went home without him? By the time I saw my doctor, I was crawling with anxiety. Hesitantly, I managed to say "I believe in vaccines. I know they work. But I'm very scared right now. What happens if ... something happens?"

My doctor could have easily gotten angry at me. I've heard of stories about how doctors will kick you right out of their practice for "daring to question." But my doctor didn't even look upset. She told me exactly what she would do if my son reacted in any negative way to the vaccine.

She told me the most likely reactions, their timeline, and which were most dangerous. She told me exactly what to look for. She gave me her word that anything like anaphylaxis would most likely happen in the first 30 minutes after the shot, and that she was going to get me to sit and wait that long to make sure that nothing would happen.

'She told me she was there for me'

She also told me, that should my son start to react, there were interventions at her office to keep him alive for the short drive to the nearby hospital, where he would be immediately admitted. She told me she was there for me, and gave me the information to weweather the following 48 hours, after which he would be clear of all the known adverse effects of the vaccine.

I remember crying and apologizing, but she was firm, "You are a good mom for asking. Not asking and just saying 'no, we're not going to do it' would be worse."

So for any parent who has heard the horror stories and might be afraid to ask: ask. There are things medical professionals can do to help your child if the worst should happen. All you are doing is giving yourself information and that's a good thing to do, especially if you are scared.

As for doctors: Thank you for helping us through these times. If I could encourage you to do anything, remember that you are the last person we talk to before saying "yes" or "no." Hesitant parents you might encounter are not necessarily strident anti-vaxxers — many are just nervous moms or dads who worry about doing the right thing for their children, and need information and reassurance. So provide data, or even an action plan, and help us make the right choice. Take that extra time.

As for my son? He barely noticed the shot. He had no reaction in the first 30 minutes. He was fussy for a while and had a low-grade fever. Both cleared in a day or so. He is now six and fully vaccinated, on time, without any adverse effects.

This column is part of CBC's Opinion section. For more information about this section, please read our FAQ.

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2019/03/15/maybe-its-actually-a-good-thing-if-i-dont-understand-my-kids-homework.html

Maybe it’s actually a good thing if I don’t understand my kids’ homework

By Edward Keenan Star Columnist

Fri., March 15, 2019

Near as I can tell, people have been complaining about the “new math” for roughly as long as there has been math.

The common-sense critics of ancient Greece, for example, resisted representing zero as a number, because, duh, everyone knows nothing can’t be something.

Education Minister Lisa Thompson unveiled changes to Ontario’s education system Friday, including a back-to-basics math curriculum. (Chris Young / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The numerals we use today were introduced to Europe by at least 1202, but didn’t replace the Is and Vs of Roman numerals in common use there until the invention of the printing press roughly CCLXXX years later. You imagine some stern dad of the time staring at his kid’s homework and shaking his head at the absurdity of the need to line digits up in columns representing factors of 10 that reflect the logic of the decimal system.

“In my day, we learned to sum DXXVI plus LVIII in our heads…”

This was true when I was growing up when my aunts and uncles complained that the system of long division I was learning was ridiculous. It remains true today, when everyone is convinced the “discovery math” their kid is learning is convoluted bafflegab producing a generation of innumerate fools.

That last bit, it seems to me, was behind the announcement of changes to the math curriculum by provincial Minister of Education Lisa Thompson on Friday. There were, what seem to me at first read, to be encouraging elements among the changes, to be sure: more funding for math learning, extra help for schools specifically struggling, more emphasis on training in math for teachers. Given that our students’ performance in math shows some struggles by international standards, these are understandable enough steps.

But that all was the fine print to a “back to basics” pledge that will, as my colleague Kristin Rushowy reports, emphasize “fundamental concepts and skills” and discourage “discovery math.” If you’re unfamiliar, discovery math is a term not really used in our school system but embraced by critics for teaching students a variety of ways to attack a problem and think through how numbers work.

You can see genuinely amusing videos online, such as one comparing the time it takes for a teacher to explain one approach to multiplying two-digit numbers to doing it the old-fashioned way, then brewing a coffee, and drinking it.

The thing is, that convoluted-seeming explanation of a relatively simple problem is meant to show kids how and why multiplication works the way it does, and to break down the numbers and problems into groups of problems that are easy to solve. It’s another way of understanding those numbers and the equation, which may help some students who grasp it do even much more difficult problems quickly in their heads. The teacher isn’t teaching them to calculate — that’s easy. She’s teaching them what the math means. It isn’t a substitute for traditional times tables (which my kids, in Toronto publicly-funded schools, have been memorizing the past few years) and methods, but a supplement to them.

Looking at these approaches — especially as presented in the text books my kids bring home — I admit sometimes my gab is as baffled by the words on the page as much as the next guy’s. This can be frustrating when you’re trying to help with homework.

I am convinced that this is actually what fuels a lot of complaints about math curricula through the ages. Mom or dad staring at their kid’s homework and saying, “I don’t get it.”

And then thinking, “Wait, this is Grade 5. I passed Grade 5. If I don’t get it, the problem must be with the math, not with me” and then channelling their bewildered frustration into a sense of anger.

Personally, I’ve learned to try to resist the impulse. Instead, I want to lean into it a bit. Because I want my kids to be smarter than I am, so maybe it’s actually a good thing if I don’t understand their homework. You know, as long as they understand it.

Maybe I come to this more quickly than some other parents because there’s a lot of my children’s homework I don’t understand, because it’s written in French, which is a language I have very little facility with. That I cannot function or understand one of Canada’s official languages has been a source of regret for me. I wanted my kids not to feel that regret, and to have the opportunities and expanded perspective a second language offers. Which is why I enrolled them in a French immersion program.

All of which means I often get to feel stupid when I try to help them with their homework, because they need to translate it for me before I can even tell what’s going on. But that’s a good thing.

I know that the things I already know and am good at are things they can learn from me, if I’m concerned they’re missing them in school. It’s the things I don’t know, like French, that I hope they can get from school.

French, and calculus. My expectation is that some of the math concepts that seem silly or strange or convoluted to me (“why the heck don’t they just put the numbers in a column and add?”) will eventually make them better at math than I am. I have nothing against the “basics” or the “fundamentals” that Thompson and her government love so much. I just hope they get more than that too — the stuff the “inquiry-based” systems and striving for “automaticity” (which is learning to do things easily in your head) of the new math are supposed to teach.

I’m not opposed to changing the system. I hope the new resources and emphasis helps. I think they should keep adjusting the system to make it better, and addressing problems that show up in student performance.

It’s just that they don’t have to dumb it down to make it understandable to me. If I look at my kids’ math homework and it looks like a foreign language, that could be a good thing, not a problem.

Edward Keenan is a columnist based in Toronto covering urban affairs. Follow him on Twitter: @thekeenanwire

https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/03/15/ford-government-announces-hikes-to-high-school-class-sizes-but-no-changes-to-kindergarten.html

Ford government announces hikes to high school class sizes, but no changes to kindergarten

By Kristin Rushowy Queen's Park Bureau

Fri., March 15, 2019

The Ford government is boosting class sizes starting in Grade 4 through to Grade 12 while promising no layoffs — though teacher unions expect about 4,500 positions will be eliminated each year over the next four years.

The change prompted Harvey Bischof, head of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, to predict “massive resistance” by his members over changes he calls “devastating” — and one he estimates will see 20 per cent of high school teaching positions eventually phased out.

Education Minister Lisa Thompson said despite moving from an average of 22 to 28 students per classroom, the plan “will not see one teacher lose their job.”

Thompson unveiled a number of education reforms Friday morning at the Ontario Science Centre, including a back-to-basics math curriculum, tweaking of the sex-ed curriculum, and a plan to have each high school student take one online credit each year.

Class sizes will remain the same from kindergarten to Grade 3, and from Grades 4-8 will increase by one student.

Thompson also announced changes to the health/sex-ed curriculum, which keeps lessons on learning the proper names of body parts in Grade 1 but moves discussion of gender identity and gender expression to Grade 8 from Grade 6.

While parents have always had the option of removing their children from sex-ed classes, the government said in a written release that “there will be clear provisions for parents who wish to exempt their child or children from sexual health education and online modules will be available for parents who want to discuss sexual health topics at home, whenever they feel their child is ready.”

Because of human rights obligations, school boards typically don’t allow students to opt out of lessons on issues of inclusion, and it is unclear how the government will accommodate families who don’t want their children to learn about gender identity.

The ministry is currently working to devise an opt-out plan on that issue.

The new health lessons will also talk about mental health and wellness in the primary years, consent and body image starting in Grade 2.

Education Minister Lisa Thompson announced Friday that the government will not alter kindergarten class sizes — and also did not announce any changes to the program. (Chris Young / The Canadian Press file photo)

Some details about the education reforms had already been revealed, including a ban on cellphones in classrooms unless teachers require them for instructional purposes, as well as a “back to basics” math plan with training for teachers.

“We will continue to look for better ways to improve student learning. We will continue to adapt curriculum to address the needs of the modern world,” Thompson also said. “And we will continue to take responsibility for every dollar spent.”

For high school teachers, local collective agreements contain class size caps — based on government funding an average class size — and the gap between the current situation and what the government is proposing is “unbridgeable,” said Bischof, president of the OSSTF.

The province currently funds for an average of 22 students, but many academic-level classes in particular already hit 30 and above, to offset smaller, specialized classes. By raising the average to 28, the classes with more students could get even larger.

“What they’re trying to do is undermine the value of our collective agreements in terms of protecting class-size caps,” Bischof said. “

“I’m telling you we’re absolutely not going to be in a position where we’re going to give away the class-size caps that we have achieved over years of negotiations.”

Thompson said the class-size changes will mean less than 1 per cent of savings in the $28 billion spent overall in education in the first year. No figures were available for subsequent years.

It’s unclear what the impact of class-size changes could be on course offerings, or to rural schools with lower enrolment.

University of Toronto Professor Charles Pascal said good teaching is the most important factor in student success — even more than class size — but “how these things are discussed and developed is the key.”

The Ford government “has an abysmal track record when it comes to collaboration with those who are charged with implementing grassroots change,” added Pascal of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

“Unless there is a timely, effective and respectful collaboration with high school teachers and those who represent them about these ideas, there will be serious and unhelpful chaos.”

Last September, the government launched public consultations, seeking input on science/technology/engineering and math (STEM) instruction; the skilled trades and the health/sex-ed curriculum, including mental health, via online surveys and telephone town halls.

At the time, Thompson said “our goal is to prepare Ontario students for success, improve their academic achievement and equip them with the tools needed to enter the working world.”

In total, the government heard from 72,000 people.

Thompson has since said an overwhelming number of participants were concerned that the issue of consent was not adequately covered in the sex-ed curriculum, and promised that would be a part of the revamped lessons.

During last year’s election campaign, Premier Doug Ford promised to scrap the current sex-ed curriculum, introduced in 2015, to appease social conservatives who felt some material was objectionable and not age-appropriate, especially the information on gender identity.

After taking office, schools were instructed to use a curriculum largely based on the old, 1998 curriculum, which critics derided as out of date. The move to the old curriculum was the subject of court and human rights challenges given LGBT issues are not explicitly included in it.

Earlier this year, the government also reached out to teacher and support staff unions, as well as trustee associations, to ask about class sizes and class-size caps, hiring practices and full-day kindergarten, noting it needed to trim the provincial deficit.

Full-day kindergarten was not a part of Friday’s announcement.

The government, however, said it will continue to consult on that and elementary class sizes, as well as hiring processes.

In Ontario, full-day kindergarten classes are capped at 29 children, and boards must have an overall average of 26 students. From Grades 1 to 3, 90 per cent of classes must have 20 or fewer students, with the remainder no bigger than 23.

From Grade 4 to 8, boards may have an average of 24.5 students per class.

On Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford would not commit to keeping class sizes at current levels, but said “the people of this province will be quite thrilled” at the government’s education reforms.

“We’re focusing on the students; we’re making sure the students get the best education they can, “ Ford said. “I can tell you, we are going back to the basics. We’re going to make sure our students understand math, reading, arithmetic.”

Provincial math tests show scores have been dropping in recent years, which is a trend affecting many countries.

Thompson’s plan, which comes into effect fully in the fall of 2021, will provide boards with funding for a “math learning lead,” and numeracy supports for 1,000 struggling schools. These amount to roughly one-quarter of all elementary and secondary schools.

All new teachers will have to pass a mandatory math exam before they can be certified, and the province’s 16,000 middle-school teachers will have to earn additional qualifications in math.

The government will also direct teachers to “focus on fundamental concepts and skills,” and move away from “discovery math,” as well as boost online resources.

Liberal MPP and former education minister Mitzie Hunter tweeted that “today’s math announcement from @LisaThompsonMPP is the same one I made when I was minister. The Ford government literally copied my math homework.”

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association estimates a loss of 5,000 teaching positions with the class-size changes from Grades 4 through 12, and fewer course choices and bigger classes in core areas like math.

“There is no doubt that increasing class sizes will make Ontario’s intermediate and high school classrooms more crowded, more chaotic, and less productive,” said Liz Stuart, OECTA president.

“Teachers will not be able to provide the same level of attention to individual students, and students with special needs will not get the support they require to reach their full potential.”

Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy

https://ottawasun.com/news/provincial/pcs-unveil-ontarios-new-sex-ed-curriculum/wcm/5f942b20-2a16-44a3-8352-764fd2781257

PCs unveil Ontario's new sex-ed curriculum, raise high school class sizes

Antonella Artuso

Brian Lilley

Published: March 15, 2019

Updated: March 15, 2019 2:39 PM EDT

LILLEY UNLEASHED: WHAT WILL GERALD SAY? All eyes & ears on Butts' Justice Committee testimony!5:20