September 3, 2021

Dear Minister Lecce, Dr. Moore and Dr. De Villa,

On behalf of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), I am writing you to ask that COVID-19 vaccinations be added to the list of compulsory vaccinations for all eligible students.

The health and safety of our students, staff and school communities is and will always be our main priority as we navigate our way through this pandemic. This commitment consists of advocating for and implementing health and safety measures that further protect our communities from the spread of the virus, including, but not limited to, masking, ventilation, and vaccinations.

As you know, medical professionals and government officials in our city, province and country continue to advise the public that vaccinations are our greatest defence against COVID-19 and that being fully vaccinated significantly reduces the risks of the most serious outcomes of COVID-19, including the variants of concern to date. This is why the Board passed a motion to develop a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination procedure to cover all TDSB staff, trustees and visitors to disclose and provide proof of vaccination status so that our schools and workplaces remain as safe as possible for students and staff alike. However, we believe we can do more to protect our communities and that it’s paramount that we do so.

In keeping with this, we are asking that COVID-19 vaccinations be added to the list of compulsory vaccinations for all eligible students. This would further protect our students, staff and their families from the virus and help keep our schools open, which is of the utmost importance to the learning and well-being of our students.

I would also like to mention that this request is supported by the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, as seen in a statement released on Aug. 17, 2021.

We hope that you highly consider our request as the new school year fast approaches and majority of our students are returning to in-person learning.

As always, I am available to discuss this at your earliest convenience.

Thank you.


Sincerely,

Alexander Brown
Chair, Toronto District School Board

Cc: The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association; All Ontario Public School Boards