August 5, 2020

Mayor Drew Dilkens
City of Windsor
350 City Hall Square West, P.O. Box 1607
Windsor, ON N9A 6S1

RE: Including Public Schools in Mandatory Mask Bylaws

On behalf of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and our 83,000 members, I want to thank you for all your work during this unprecedented public health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has created incredible challenges for municipalities across the province, and we appreciate the efforts being made to keep our communities safe.

In a few weeks, public schools across Ontario will be welcoming students and educators back after months of school closures. As we continue to collectively navigate the new reality created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontarians have learned to do their part by keeping two metres of physical distance and wearing masks in indoor spaces.

We know that physical distancing and universal mask wearing, particularly in enclosed spaces, are effective measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Recognizing this, your municipality has adopted measures to mandate non-medical masks in indoor public spaces. Unfortunately, the current measures do not apply to public schools.

On behalf of 83,000 educators in Ontario I am asking that you revisit this issue, and that you make the necessary amendments to include public schools in the list of public spaces where masks must be worn by everyone; students of all ages, educators, school staff and visitors.

COVID-19 does not differentiate between a grocery store and an elementary classroom, between a coffee shop and a school hallway. Our public health measures must be directed accordingly.