The Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation District 29 President is calling foul on the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board.
Scott Marshall told Quinte News he received a four point policy on Tuesday that says if a student in Grades 4-12 refuses to wear a mask, they are allowed to remain in class.
“It’s in a policy that was shared internally with us yesterday, and it’s what raised all kinds of flags with us because it’s certainly not what we understood would be practiced.”
The Board’s Return to School Plan states students in Grades 4-12 are required to wear a mask.
Marshall says the policy he received says teachers will try to get students to comply, if the student still refuses then teachers will wear additional PPE and additionally adjust the seating plan to allow for six feet of spacing from classmates if a student still refuses to wear a mask.HPEDSB Director of Education Sean Monteith was unavailable for a comment.
An email response from the Board states: “We will be encouraging reasonable conversations with students choosing not to wear a mask. This may include calling home to have a meaningful conversation with the parent/guardian. If a student refuses to wear a mask and a teacher/worker cannot be 2 metres from that student, the teacher/worker will continue to take reasonable precautions by adding PPE, such as a face shield. Additional actions may include changing the classroom seating plan to create 2 metres between the non-mask-wearing student and the nearest person in the classroom.”
