COVID-19: health and safety measures at schools

What to expect for the school year

All public and private schools will return to full-time in-person learning for the 2021-22 school year with health and safety measures in place.

Remote learning will continue to be an option for students and families. Schools have:

• signs to reinforce self-screening for symptoms of illness, hand hygiene, physical distancing and one-way foot traffic in hallways and bathrooms
• Hand sanitizer at key locations throughout the school
• Rules about how people enter and exit the school

We encourage school boards that are offering in-person summer school to transition to follow the 2021-22 guidance and measures. This is a summary of the health and safety measures. You can also read the complete guidance for schools. Ontario intends to introduce a vaccination disclosure policy for all publicly-funded school board employees, and staff in private schools as well as for all staff in licensed child care settings for the 2021-22 school year, with rapid antigen testing requirements for staff who are not immunized against COVID-19covid 19.

Adjusting health and safety measures

The current health and safety measures in place for schools may be adjusted based on key public health and health care data. We will continue to work with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and local public health units to review data to help inform and update guidance. Some public health units might require additional health and safety measures based on local public health data.

Masks and hand washing

Schools will:

• ensure students are wearing a mask when required
• train students on appropriate hand hygiene
• schedule breaks for students to wash their hands
• have hand sanitizer available at key locations throughout the school

All staff in schools must wear masks, with reasonable exceptions for medical conditions. Staff working in close contact with children who are not wearing masks must use eye protection (for example, face shields or goggles).