WINDSOR, ONT. -- Many Windsor-Essex County parents, including Matt Tyler, would like to see their kids back in the classroom before the school year comes to a close.
"If it’s three weeks I’ll take three weeks over none. Otherwise they’re not going back ‘til September and that’s too late."
Erin Kane feels her grade school aged children are missing out on the social aspect of school.
"They don’t have school. They don’t have extracurricular activity so they need some of that social activity outside of their siblings," said Kane.
Ontario’s Covid-19 Science Advisory Table feels schools can reopen on a regional basis without risking the progress Ontario has made in lowering the number of positive cases during the third wave. It’s a train of thought supported by local educators.
"Every local has different data." said Mario Spagnuolo, president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario. He is calling on the province to allow local health units to decide if schools should open.
"We think it’s best to leave it with the professionals at the local level to make that determination if it’s safe to return to school or not."
Premier Doug Ford is seeking advice from medical experts, educators and health officials on how to get children back to school. With the government accelerating the vaccine rollout parents like Jaimie Peltier feels there should be a reward for those who have been inoculated.
"They’ve lost everything," said Peltier. "Let the kids have something to look forward to."
Students, without hesitation, want to go back.
"I need to see my friends," said Dylan Buchridan-Tyler. "It’s hard seeing them through the screen."
