As students in Canada's most populous province return to mask-free classes after two years on Monday, one Ontario school board is facing backlash for defying the province's decision to drop masks, potentially setting the stage for a clash on a contentious pandemic issue.
The mask mandate and other pandemic measures have become a lightning rod in Canada for an anti-government movement, sparking a three-week protest in capital Ottawa last month.
"My kids will not be wearing masks and they will be told to have the school call me if the school tries to force them to wear a mask," said Alyssa Vankleek, a Hamilton parent. HWDSB will find it challenging to enforce masking requirements once the mandate is lifted as Ontario schools do not have their own mask policies. Prohibiting a maskless student from attending school could be deemed a breach of the child's rights, according to the Ontario Education Act and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce rejected HWDSB's request to support its masking policy. "As we continue on this path, we are able to take a more balanced and longer-term approach to the province's pandemic response ... by removing many of the emergency measures that have been in place over the past two years," Lecce said.