FROM THE GENERAL SECRETARY
ADDRESSING SYSTEMIC ISSUES CONTINUES TO BE A TOP PRIORITY GOING FORWARD
M
arch marks a full year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a year that has been incredibly stressful and dif-
fi cult, especially for those who work on the front lines. Educators have been carrying the responsibility not only for the well-being of your own families but for that of your stu- dents and your school communities. You have done this in consistently challenging circum- stances, as the government has resisted ad- equately funding the response to COVID-19. Nevertheless, ETFO and other advocates have moved this government on a host of impor- tant issues including province-wide masking for students in Grades 1 and up, asymptom- atic testing, priority vaccination for educators and other safety measures. We continue to ad- vocate for masking for Kindergarten students, air purifi cation units and CO2 detectors for every classroom and smaller classes in On- tario public schools. With new variants of the virus in circulation, we know that we need to continue to be vigilant. In February, thousands of educators from
across the province joined the ETFO Execu- tive and staff for a series of town hall meetings. We appreciated the opportunity to hear from members directly about their questions and concerns. We heard very clearly that members continue to be concerned about their safety, health and well-being. We heard from mem- bers in virtual assignments who are struggling with limited resources and increased work- loads, about issues with prep time coverage, class sizes, cohorts, social distancing and inef- fective personal protective equipment. Please know, that your Provincial Executive, offi ce staff and local leaders are working together to continue to address these issues. In response to the concerns you have raised
in conversations with your locals and in town hall meetings, we have created resources to support you. These resources are intended to assist you as you continue to navigate the pandemic, to support your mental health, to support those teaching in virtual classrooms as well as to support your continued work for equity and social justice in your classrooms. As we continue to raise these issues with the government, I encourage you to visit
etfo.ca to
6 ETFO VOICE | SPRING 2021
access resources and to learn about the advo- cacy work that is happening. You can search the site by keywords such as “virtual environ- ment” and “mental health” to access resources. We also heard from you about how you
are seeing the pandemic impact already vul- nerable communities. This pandemic has laid bare existing systemic inequities, which means that crises
like COVID-19 impact
some communities over others. Black, In- digenous, racialized, low-income and other marginalized people have disproportionately suffered the impacts of COVID-19 in our province. Addressing systemic inequities is a part of every conversation we have with the Ford government, but to get real movement on these issues, we need change. We know there were challenges in public
education before the pandemic. COVID-19 has deepened pre-existing inequities and shed light on the gaps that we have in our public education system. As we look ahead, we must consider the challenges in our pub- lic schools that have resulted not only from this year, but from years of underfunding. We must remember that the Ford govern- ment was intent on implementing an agenda
of cuts to public education before the pan- demic arrived and will continue down that path if given a chance to do so. As we enter the spring and start to look
beyond this year and hopefully beyond this pandemic, ensuring that the systemic issues in public education are addressed moving forward is a key priority. It has always been ETFO’s goal to protect and improve what Ontarians value so much, a world-renowned public education for every student in the province, regardless of their personal cir- cumstances or their geographic locations. We know that the best place for students to learn is in the classroom and we will fi ght back against any notion of permanent virtual learning in elementary. We hope you will join us through local organizing and through our campaign at
BuildingBetterSchools.ca. ETFO is planning to continue town hall
meetings for members in the spring as we see our way to the end of this school year. Please ensure that you are signed up to the ETFO enewsletter at
etfo.ca to receive notifi cations about the next town hall meetings as well as updates on events and opportunities. – Sharon O’Halloran
PHOTO BY KATHRYN GAITENS
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