April 8th, 2021
April 8th, 2021
HAMILTON — Official Opposition NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is calling on Doug Ford to protect in-class learning in Hamilton by acting now to make schools safer.
Horwath’s call comes as Hamilton records recent COVID-19 cases in more than 70 schools locally and a growing number of regions move learning online, including Peel, Toronto and the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph area.
“Schools in regions all around Hamilton are shutting down again, fueling the safety concerns parents and educators in Hamilton have had for some time,” said Horwath. “Parents are once again being forced to choose between continuing to send their kids into crowded classrooms, and pulling their children out of school and trying to make online learning work when it hasn’t so far, for so many.
“The third wave is here, and Doug Ford hasn’t invested in smaller class sizes. I’m worried he’s marching Hamilton and other regions right into another school shutdown instead of making the investments we need to make schools safe.”
Making schools safe has been a priority for Horwath and her NDP throughout the pandemic. Their positive proposals now include a plan to get education workers vaccinated quickly.
“We have an opportunity to prevent more school closures by moving quickly to improve safety over the spring break, and we should take it,” said Horwath. “Let’s give students, parents and educators safe schools with vaccines for staff, a class size cap of 15, on-site COVID-19 testing and safety features like touchless faucets.”
Video:
https://www.facebook.com/AndreaHorwathONDP/videos/974550213312422
Quotes
Allison Cillis, Ontario NDP candidate for Flamborough-Glanbrook
“Flipping back and forth between in-class and online learning has made it a challenging year for students, parents and educators in Flamborough-Glanbrook. Now, just when folks were looking forward to a desperately needed break, we’re left to wonder whether it will be safe to return to the classroom, where everyone agrees students and educators should be. Instead of just hoping for the best and insisting schools are safe, the government should make it happen over the break: cap class sizes, do broad in-school testing, and make safety upgrades.”
Stan Satchell and Julie Boudreau, Hamilton educators and parents
Julie – “Unfortunately, the people making decisions at the government level are making it difficult to provide enough protection for staff and students.”
Stan - “This is more than just a question of what is wrong with the way this government is looking at the pandemic, it is a question of who this government values as people.”