Quebec schools remain hotbeds for COVID-19 transmission, support staff say.
La Presse Canadienne
Publishing date: Dec 22, 2021 •
Daycare children walk down a street in Plateau Mont-Royal.
PHOTO BY JOHN MAHONEY /Montreal Gazette
The union representing support staff in five Montreal-area school service centres is criticizing Quebec for keeping daycares and specialized schools open until the holiday break, then reopening them Jan. 10.
In a statement, the FTQ- affiliated Syndicat des employées et employés professionnels-les et de bureau said it is in “strong disagreement” with the government’s decision. The union says Quebec should immediately shut down all schools and maintain daycare services only for the children of essential-service workers, such as police or firefighters, as was done during the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The risk of transmitting the virus is “enormous,” said Jean-François Labonté, president of the union representing support staff at the Centre de services scolaire Marie-Victorin.
“We are very worried,” he said. “Half the cases in Quebec are occurring in our schools. And the personnel feel poorly protected because of the issue of poor ventilation. There are still no (carbon dioxide) detectors in all classrooms, in all the sites.”
While announcing new health restrictions on Monday, the provincial government indicated that classes in elementary, secondary and adult education institutions would be suspended the next day.
Health Minister Christian Dubé added that elementary schools would remain open until the holidays as vaccination and rapid test distribution sites. School daycares would remain open until the holidays, giving priority to health-care workers.
Labonté said the masks given to school employees were insufficient. He added that support staff should be prioritized to receive a booster dose of vaccine and should also receive a “risk bonus.”
Premier François Legault is expected to announce new health restrictions Wednesday evening triggered by the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.
The union representing support staff in five Montreal-area school service centres is criticizing Quebec for keeping daycares and specialized schools open until the holiday break, then reopening them Jan. 10.
In a statement, the FTQ- affiliated Syndicat des employées et employés professionnels-les et de bureau said it is in “strong disagreement” with the government’s decision. The union says Quebec should immediately shut down all schools and maintain daycare services only for the children of essential-service workers, such as police or firefighters, as was done during the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The risk of transmitting the virus is “enormous,” said Jean-François Labonté, president of the union representing support staff at the Centre de services scolaire Marie-Victorin.
“We are very worried,” he said. “Half the cases in Quebec are occurring in our schools. And the personnel feel poorly protected because of the issue of poor ventilation. There are still no (carbon dioxide) detectors in all classrooms, in all the sites.”
While announcing new health restrictions on Monday, the provincial government indicated that classes in elementary, secondary and adult education institutions would be suspended the next day.
Health Minister Christian Dubé added that elementary schools would remain open until the holidays as vaccination and rapid test distribution sites. School daycares would remain open until the holidays, giving priority to health-care workers.
Labonté said the masks given to school employees were insufficient. He added that support staff should be prioritized to receive a booster dose of vaccine and should also receive a “risk bonus.”
Premier François Legault is expected to announce new health restrictions Wednesday evening triggered by the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.
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