Stephen Lecce

The trustees of the Toronto District School Board, Ontario’s and Canada’s largest school board, Wednesday night took a much stronger stance in its policy on COVID-19 vaccinations than the Ford government has, unanimously voting to insist on proof or multiple other steps to keep young people safe.

Ontario’s long-awaited back-to-school plan requires students and staff to wear masks indoors but does not mandate being vaccinated against COVID-19.

The medical experts advising the Ontario government say the province’s schools and classrooms should stay open unless “catastrophic circumstances" force them closed again after more than a year of disrupted learning and socialization.

Ontario’s Education Ministry outlined its financial and operational plans for the 2021-22 school year on Tuesday, telling school boards that pandemic-related funding for the second half of the year is not yet confirmed while requiring them to offer virtual classes for the whole year.