Trustees of Ottawa’s largest school board voted to make COVID-19 masks mandatory again for students and staff. The moves comes despite the province’s decision in March to end the mask mandate..Education director Camille Williams-Taylor cautioned trustees at the beginning of the Tuesday meeting the last six weeks since the mandate was lifted there has been a “shift in focus” from COVID-19 and mandatory masking to student learning..“I am concerned we are — yet again — putting staff on the front line to police masking,” she said, pointing out that the greatest challenge they have in schools is how to enforce compliance. Williams-Taylor said the community is very divided on the issue..The education director warned that a mask mandate was unworkable at this point. Nevertheless, trustees with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) voted 8-1 in favour of reinstating the mandate for students and staff..OCDSB trustee, Justine Bell, voted in favour of the motion and says it was brought forward for the health and safety of students and staff..“I’m going to be supporting this motion because I want to keep kids safe in schools,” said Bell..After almost two hours of procedural debate and in-camera questions, the motion on Tuesday night to mandate mask use in all OCDSB buildings was approved..Donna Blackburn was the only trustee who voted against the motion. The mandate impacts all 70,000 students and OCDSB staff. Blackburn said she wouldn’t support the motion because she refuses to give people a “false sense of security.”. zhang-kenny-v2Xc9ZR_4Mo-unsplashZhang Kenny .“We have no way to enforce a mask mandate,” she said. “It’s highly irresponsible to give people the idea schools will be safer.”.The emergency motion stated masks are required to mitigate the “spread of the virus” and respond to the apparent jump in Ottawa case numbers..OCDSB attempted to introduce a mask mandate several weeks ago in March. The motion was narrowly defeated 6-6. A tied vote is a motion defeated..Lyra Evans, the province’s first openly transgender school board trustee, pushed for the failed March motion. “It is foolish of us to remove a mask mandate that has been effective,” Evans said. “The decision — by the Ford government — [to drop the mandate] was entirely political.”.Trustee Justine Bell, an NDP member and senior policy advisor for Global Affairs Canada, put forward the motion in March..In the recent successful motion, Bell said she was concerned about school absences from class and educators were afraid, suggesting the absence of a mask mandate negatively affects mental health and exacerbates anxiety in those who want to “learn in a safe space.” .Bell dismissed the board assistant director’s comment when he made it clear the schools’ absences of around 15% are average for the time of year and likely related to sickness not related to COVID-19 such as colds and influenza..Trustee Wendy Hough, the board’s lead on indigenous issues, said that due to colonialism and racism many indigenous staff are not in a position to take time off work..The OCDSB did not provide an expiry date for the new mask mandate..Amanda Brown is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.abrown@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter: @WS_JournoAmanda
