TDSB Calls on Province to Think About Families in September 

Trustees with the Toronto District School Board are calling on the Province to strongly consider working parents with young children, single parent households and low-income families as they implement plans for the return to school in September.

During a Special Board Meeting this evening, Trustees voted to express their concern that the current Back to School Recovery plan — particularly the “hybrid” or “adapted” model — will leave many families having to choose between educating their children and their jobs.

Trustees are also calling on the province to provide emergency funding for the development of a larger and more robust staffing plan to accommodate getting as many students as possible, as soon as possible, back into physical schools/spaces, while also covering all extra COVID-19 costs including those for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), additional transportation, IT devices, mental health and well-being supports, and cleaning supplies.

Trustees have also asked the Chair to write to the Prime Minister and Mayor of Toronto to encourage their collaboration on other funding, policies and programs that allow children and families to participate fully in the reopening and to keep children safe, social and learning.

 

TDSB Calls on Province to Delay Math Curriculum Implementation

Trustees also voted today to request that the province delay the implementation of the new Math Curriculum, Grade 1-8 until such time that school operations are no longer affected by COVID-19.

A delay will allow staff to focus on the health, safety and achievement of all students and allow for additional professional learning.

Over the past year, the TDSB has had to delay implementation of other important, planned professional learning from its Multi-Year Strategic Plan in human rights, equity and anti-oppression as well as combatting various forms of discrimination.

 

“We want to ensure that all students can return in September in the safest way possible, but we must also recognize that if the Ministry of Education does not permit them to return every day, it will put many of the families of 247,000 TDSB students in a very difficult position — not to mention the families of thousands of TDSB staff.”

- Robin Pilkey, Chair, TDSB

 

“We recognize that the Ministry of Education has made a change to the math curriculum and expects it to be in place this September, but as students and staff — still dealing with pandemic-related issues — return to school, we want them to focus on this critical transition and not on learning a new way to do math.”

- Robin Pilkey, Chair, TDSB