Instead, use will be voluntary and masks will be available to students upon request. Rapid tests will also remain available to school boards. Mask mandates ended in most Ontario settings on March 21, making masks optional for students in the classroom. The fall semester of 2022 will be the first full semester since the start of the pandemic that Ontario students will not be required to wear masks Late last month, the Ministry of Education announced a plan to help students catch up after two years of interrupted learning. As part of this plan, COVID-19 protocols within schools will remain the same as last spring. “Our government’s plan to catch up is designed to keep students in safe classrooms without disruption,” Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in a statement to CTV News Toronto on Monday. “The Catch Up Plan is focused on helping students get back on track, learn life and work skills, and enjoy a full return to clubs, sports and extracurriculars — critical to students’ physical and mental health students. That starts with being in class, on time, with the full school experience combined with historic mental health and tutoring support.” Few new details have been released about how the government plans to ensure face-to-face learning continues throughout the year, particularly if another wave of COVID-19 hits the province. Instead, the government protested its previous investments in ventilation improvements and HEPA filter units, the provision of rapid COVID-19 tests for staff and students and funding for parents to offset the costs of online learning. The province says about $26.6 billion has been allocated to elementary and secondary education in Ontario for the 2022-23 school year. With files from CTV News Toronto’s Katherine DeClerq.
