August 26, 2020

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON MANDATORY MASKS FOR STUDENTS

AND STAGGERED RETURN TO SCHOOL
MASKS
When the Ontario Ministry of Education released its’ Approach to Reopening Schools for 2020 – 2021
School Year, the Guidance Document indicated that students in Grades 4 to 12 would be required to wear
cloth masks, and all educators would be required to wear a medical grade mask and would be provided
with face shields.

On August 19, Dr. Nicola Mercer, Medical Officer of Health and CEO of the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health
Unit, released a letter to Guelph residents identifying that during a meeting with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District
School Board (DPCDSB), Upper Grand District School Board, and Wellington Catholic District School Board staff, she
“advocated for the mandating of masks for students of Grade 1 to 3 and strongly encouraged them for students in
Kindergarten.” This letter is attached for reference.

Subsequently, Dr. Lawrence Loh, Medical Officer of Health for Peel Public Health, wrote a letter to the DPCDSB Board of
Trustees on August 20 in which he recommended mandating masks for students in Grades 1 to 3 and strongly
recommended the wearing masks by students in Kindergarten. This letter is also attached for reference.

Throughout the closure period, DPCDSB staff and the Board of Trustees have relied on guidance from the public health
authorities regarding public health measures and health and safety protocols related to the operation of DPCDSB
schools and other facilities. Accordingly, and in alignment with the recommendations from local public health
authorities referenced above, Grades 1 to 12 students in the DPCDSB will be required to wear a cloth mask while
travelling on DPCDSB transportation and at school. Additionally, it is strongly recommended that students in
Kindergarten also wear masks. Some parents/guardians have asked about the use of a face shield as an alternative to a
face mask. The public health unit has advised that face shields are intended to protect the eyes only. Parents are
required to provide masks for their child(ren). Parents are strongly encouraged to provide their child(ren) with more
than one mask daily in the event the mask becomes soiled or lost. It is also strongly recommended that parents provide
their child(ren) with a storage bag for their mask while at school to keep the mask as clean as possible when removed to
go outside. Should a student forget their mask, the school will have a limited quantity on hand. Questions regarding
exemptions from the use of a mask are to be directed to the school principal and, in consultation with DPCDSB staff, will
be provided on a case by case basis as related to individual student needs (i.e., developmental needs, diverse learning
needs or health needs).

STAGGERED RETURN TO SCHOOL: REMOTE VIRTUAL SCHOOL

DPCDSB staff has been working to analyze parent/guardian survey data regarding return to
school intentions for students. Results indicate that, on average, 25% of students will access
remote, synchronous and asynchronous learning and will not be physically returning to school
at the start of the school year. Reorganization of the entire system is currently underway,
including re-timetabling all secondary schools to reflect the number of students who will physically be in attendance and
assigning elementary and secondary school students who have chosen remote learning to a “virtual school” with new
timetables and teachers, etc. This will require an extensive amount of coordination and organization and teachers will
be reaching out to students throughout the first week of school to establish routines, schedules, and small group
sessions when possible.

Further information for those students who are accessing remote learning will be provided via email communication to
parents/guardians.

STAGGERED RETURN TO SCHOOL: IN-PERSON PHYSICAL ATTENDANCE

As always, staff is committed to ensuring the safest return possible for students. In elementary and secondary schools,
students will be staggered in their return to school so that all health and safety protocols can be rehearsed in smaller
groups. During these days, in the first week of school, where smaller class groupings are attending, teachers will focus
on topics such as:

• Entry and dismissal routines which respect physical distancing

• Movement in and around the school
• Transition times
• Expectations for masking and how to properly wear a mask and store the mask while outside
• Using the school washroom; handwashing and coughing/sneezing etiquette.
• Eating lunch/snacks, etc.
• Mental health and well-being check-ins and supports
• Diagnostic assessment to plan for intervention to learning gaps

Elementary students will attend for one day, based on local school organization and division of classes, during the first
week of school. Grade 9 students will begin on the first day of school, based on cohort, for orientation to secondary
school. Grades 10, 11 and 12 students will join Grade 9 students on Thursday September 10 (cohort A) and Friday
September 11 (Cohort B).

The following chart identifies return to school dates for elementary and secondary students who will be physically
returning to school or learning remotely:

ELEMENTARY IN-PERSON PHYSICAL ATTENDANCE

WHO ATTENDS? WHEN?
School staff only to rehearse health and safety protocols, Tuesday September 8
set up learning management systems, learning resources
and co-ordinate the use of space in the school and on the
school yard.
*Surname A-F of the School FDKK – Grade 8 (to be Wednesday September 9
communicated by school principal) Focus on Health and Safety protocols, student well-
being and academic assessments
*Surname G-N of the School FDK – Grade 8 (to be Thursday September 10
communicated by school principal) Focus on Health and Safety protocols, student well-
being and academic assessments
*Surname O-Z of the School FDK – Grade 8 (to be Friday September 11
communicated by school principal) Focus on Health and Safety protocols, student well-
being and academic assessments
GROUP A Surname A to L, FDK to Grade 8 Monday September 14
Focus on Health and Safety Protocols within a larger
group setting, student well-being and academic
assessments
GROUP B Surname M-Z, FDK to Grade 8 Tuesday September 15
 Focus on Health and Safety Protocols within a larger
group setting, student well-being and academic
assessments
All Students, FDK to Grade 8 Wednesday September 16
All Students, FDK to Grade 8 Thursday September 17
No students attend school – PA Day for Reorganization Friday September 18
All students return to their classes Monday September 21

Elementary students, therefore, would attend school one day the first week of school and two days the second week of
school. All elementary students would physically attend each and every day starting the third week of school.

SECONDARY PHYSICAL ATTENDANCE

WHO ATTENDS? WHEN?
**Grade 9 Cohort A Tuesday September 8
Focus on Well-Being and Health and Safety
Protocols for students
Orientation to secondary school
**Grade 9 Cohort B Wednesday September 9
Focus on Well-Being and Health and Safety
Protocols for students
Orientation to secondary school
**Grades 10, 11 and 12 Cohort A Thursday September 10
Focus on Well-Being and Health and Safety
Protocols for students
**Grades 10, 11 and 12 Cohort B Friday September 11
Focus on Well-Being and Health and Safety
Protocols for students
**Grades 9, 10, 11, 12 Regular Schedule based on Cohorts Monday September 14

ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY VIRTUAL ONLINE

WHO ATTENDS? WHEN?
All students Class placement and coordination starting
September 8 and throughout the week with
focus on routines, expectations, etc.
A sample individual secondary school timetable for a Grade 9 student is provided below:

Sample Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Time
8:30 – English Period 1 Math Period 2 English Period 1 English Period 1 Math Period 2
11:00 In school In school In school Remote, Remote,
Synchronous and Synchronous and
Alternating Asynchronous Asynchronous
Academic Support Academic Support
11:00 – Student Dismissal and Return to Home
12: 00
12:00 – Math Period 2 English Period 1 Alternating by Math Period 2 English Period 1
1:15 Remote, Remote, week Remote, Remote,
Synchronous and Synchronous and Remote, Synchronous and Synchronous and
Asynchronous Asynchronous Synchronous and Asynchronous Asynchronous
Academic Support Academic Support Asynchronous Academic Support Academic Support
Academic Support
1:15 – Math Period 2 English Period 1 Alternating by Math Period 2 English Period 1
2:30 Remote, Remote, week Remote, Remote,
Synchronous and synchronous and Remote, Synchronous and Synchronous and
Asynchronous asynchronous Synchronous and Asynchronous Asynchronous
Academic Support Academic Support Asynchronous Academic Support Academic Support
Academic Support

*Elementary school principals will be providing parents/guardians with back to school protocols for the first day that a
student returns to school (i.e., entry, dismissal, etc.). Each student will be emailed their child’s classroom number and
teacher by end of day Tuesday, September 8.

**Secondary school principals will be providing parents/guardians with back to school protocols for the first day that a
student returns to school (i.e., entry, dismissal, etc.). Period 1 schedules and room numbers will be uploaded to
students’ MyBluePrint accounts on Friday, September 4.

During the first week, secondary students who have elected for physical attendance, but are not attending class
physically, will be working on classwork assigned by their teachers and accessing and setting up their learning
management system and connecting with teachers.
August 19, 2020

Residents of Guelph,

Yesterday, I met with senior leaders from local school boards to continue our progress toward the
shared goal of a robust plan to reopen schools as safely as possible. We have been working with
the boards on COVID-19 since February and I remain encouraged by the commitment our partners
have shown to be creative and flexible in protecting students and staff from the effects of the
global pandemic. Working with Public Health, local school boards have developed strategies for
physical distancing, hand hygiene, screening and exclusion, and masks for students and staff in
schools. I strongly endorse these efforts. None of this is easy, but I truly believe everyone is
working with the safety of our children and teachers as the utmost priority.

In our meeting, I advocated for the mandating of masks for students in Grade 1 and above and
strongly encouraged them for children in JK and SK. I was pleased to see Upper Grand District
School Board take the step of mandating masks for all students and staff at their meeting
yesterday. There are great resources on children and mask use available from the American
Academy of Pediatrics.

The response to COVID-19 remains the focus of WDG Public Health. Supporting schools
throughout our region will be the largest single program undertaken by Public Health this fall. We
are adding nursing positions thanks to newly announced funding from the Provincial Government.
Those new staff will join current public health professionals to create a team that will directly
support each individual school in our region.

Safely reopening our schools is only possible if our entire community acts together to ensure the
transmission rates of COVID-19 remain as low as possible in our region. Low infections rates will
mean less chance of infections in our schools and more resources to manage outbreaks of the
virus. Each of us has the responsibility to practice good hand hygiene, maintain physical distancing,
wear a face covering, download the COVID-19 tracking app, and avoid large gatherings where
possible. Plans to safely reopen our schools can only be as effective as our commitment to tackling
COVID-19 together.

Stay well,

Dr. N. J. Mercer, MD, MBA, MPH, FRCPC

Medical Officer of Health and CEO
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health

160 Chancellors Way, Guelph, ON N1G 0E1

Telephone: 519-822-2715 | Fax: 519-836-7215 | www.wdgpublichealth.ca
August 20, 2020

Dear Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Trustees:

Re: Mandatory masking recommendation for Grades 1 to 3

I am writing today to advise that Peel Public Health is recommending, as possible,

the wearing of masks for students from Grades 1-3 while in school during the 2020-
21 school year. I also strongly recommending the wearing of masks by kindergarten
students wear masks while in school. I make these recommendations in aiming to
align with our broader community guidance around the Core Four behaviours to stop
COVID-19 and also guidance issued to you from the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph
Public Health Unit, whose Medical Officer of Health issued similar guidance
yesterday.

While this recommendation may appear to go above and beyond the provincial
guidance that you have received from the Ministry of Education, it aligns with local
by-laws in Peel concerning the wearing of masks in indoor public spaces. The Core
Four behaviours of distancing, masking where distancing is difficult, frequent
handwashing and getting tested and staying home when sick continue to be crucial
to stopping the spread of COVID-19 in our community.

In making this recommendation, I fully recognize that all decisions around school
reopening ultimately lie within your mandate. I know that you are balancing many
competing demands and considerations in navigating a safe school reopening within
what is feasible with current resourcing and guidance. I also know that this
recommendation may come as a surprise and thank you for your patience as we
continue to navigate this unprecedented situation. We continue to regularly
communicate with your board director and school board staff while also coordinating
approaches across public health units.

Certainly, school reopening will have a significant impact on the nature of

interactions and movements about Peel. Successfully opening with adequate
precautions is a shared goal and I will commit to continuing to keep all of you
informed as we move towards September.

I’m happy to answer any questions you might have and thank you for your continued
commitment to taking precautions that help us address COVID-19 in our community.

With my best wishes,

Lawrence C. Loh, MD, MPH, FCFP, FRCPC, FACPM

Medical Officer of Health

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