A public school board in Hamilton will require that all students and staff wear masks but the policy stops well short of an outright mandate.
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board trustees voted in favour of the new “temporary universal masking requirement” during a meeting on Monday night.
The policy takes effect immediately and applies to all HWDSB schools.
However, staff and students will have “an unrestricted option to opt-out” as per the language of the motion.
Board spokesperson Shawn McKillop told CP24.com that while the details on the opt-out process are still being finalized, it could be “as simple” as a verbal indication of a desire to be exempted.
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School had previously strongly recommended that students and staff wear masks following a vote on Nov. 21.
At this point it remains unclear what steps the board will take to ensure compliance with the new requirement.
“We are taking time this week to review to prepare our education and awareness communication,” McKillop told CP24.com on Tuesday morning.
MORE: With respiratory infections surging, how can parents navigate the masking question?
A number of Ontario school boards have held meetings to discuss reviving masking requirements in recent weeks, however the HWDSB is the first board to actually put in place a requirement, albeit one which provides a universal opt-out.
Two weeks ago a motion to introduce a mandatory mask requirement for all students and staff in Ottawa’s English public elementary and secondary schools was defeated following a tie vote.
The Durham District School Board also debated a motion that would have asked local public health officials to implement a mandate for schools, however that too was defeated following a contentious meeting.
The effort to reintroduce masking in schools comes as a number of children’s hospitals struggle to handle an influx of patients with RSV, influenza and other viral illnesses.
Some, including the Hospital for Sick Children, have even had to limit surgeries in a bid to free up beds in their critical care units.
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School has said that trustees will review the new requirement at a meeting in January.
