tary grades. This permanent change is being undertaken without educational expertise and without considering any data about Ontario’s richly diverse student population, the process of learning and the realities of schools and the communities in which they are situated. On the other hand, medical experts agree
that in-person learning is the best option for children of all ages from an overall health and learning perspective. SickKids’ COVID-19: Guidance for School Operation During the Pandemic document states that “full-time remote learning is insufficient to meet the needs of the majority of Ontario children and youth, leads to increased screen time and is likely detrimental to overall health.” The SickKids report goes on to say that
the “daily in-person school model is best for the educational and developmental needs of children as it allows for consistency, stability
and equity, regardless of the region in which children and youth live.” We know that too much time in front of
a screen can lead to lasting effects on vision, especially in children. Potential effects in- clude eye fatigue, nearsightedness and retinal damage. The Centre for Ocular Research and Education revealed in a study that “nearsight- edness in Canadian children is growing at an alarming rate and too much screen time and time spent indoors is the suspected culprit.”
Misconception: More digital resources will be provided by the Ministry for virtual learning.
Fact: The Ministry has provided no addition- al funding for any aspect of the plan to in- crease remote learning, including resources. In March of 2020 at the very start of the
pandemic, the Ministry changed the way digital licenses were obtained for all publicly-
funded schools across Ontario. The respon- sibility for purchasing and critically evaluat- ing resources and completing cyber-security analysis of digital resources was downloaded to school boards, resulting in significantly higher purchasing costs for boards, longer timelines for obtaining quality resources and getting them into the hands of educators and increased stress on board personnel. The issues and costs related to obtaining digital resources would only be amplified with an expansion of virtual learning as proposed by the Ministry. Proposed changes to the Education Act
also include using agencies such as TVO/ TFO to prescribe the use of technology in- frastructure, such as software, information systems and/or technology-based instruc- tional tools and resources to support a con- sistent student experience. This could potentially remove the option for school boards to select and choose the
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