OCDSB to mull mandatory masks for youngest students

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) will debate Tuesday night whether to require its youngest students to wear masks when they begin school this September.

The Ontario government has mandated that children in grades 4 through12 wear masks during class and in the hallways, but OCDSB trustee Lyra Evans is proposingthatbe extended to children from kindergarten through Grade 3. Currently, the province only "encourages" masks be worn by those youngest learners.

"This is not the be-all and end-all of what we should be doing to make sure that we minimize the spread of COVID, but I think it's an important tool," said Evans, who has also proposed capping class sizesby spending millions to hire 1,800 more teachers.

Last week, school boards in Toronto, Peel region, Waterloo and Guelph voted to exceed the provincial standard by requiringmasks for all students in a bid to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.

• How many masks should my child take to school? Your back-to-school mask questions answered
• Kids may find masks uncomfortable, but they'll be vital to stopping COVID-19 in schools, says expert

Teachers' unions and the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontariohave also called for mandatory masks for all ages, saying young children can be taught to wear masks, and wear themconsistently.

A complicated issue

But it's a complicated issue, according toa report by Sick Kids in Toronto in late July. The doctors from across Ontario whocollaborated to advise the government about school reopening protocolssaid therewas "considerable disagreement" on the subject.

While they settled on suggesting high school students wear masks when physical distancing can't be maintained, the doctors noted risks including younger children touching masks with dirty hands, missing facial expressions key to their learning and being unable to keep the masks on their faces for sufficiently long periods.

"The number one counter-argument is that they might not do it perfectly, but I will take a 70 per cent success rate over a zero per cent attempt," said Evans, who has been following the Toronto board's discussion of the issue.

Ottawa's medical officer of health, Dr. Vera Etches, was not available for an interview, buther guidance led to Ottawa's mandatory mask bylaw, which requireschildren agetwo and older to wear masks inindoor public spaces.

Schools don't fall under the bylaw's jurisdiction, however.

Etches said on Aug. 21thatstudents wearing masks to school shouldwash them nightly or have a few in rotation, and always remember to have clean hands when putting them on.

Trustees have invited Etches to answer questions at their meeting Tuesday, but Ottawa Public Health could not confirm she will be participating. At that same meeting, the board will discuss a motion by trustee Donna Blackburn to delay the start of school untilSept. 14.

A secondmeeting will take place on Wednesday, during which Evans's budget-related request for more teachers will be discussed.