No mandatory masks in Ontario schools this fall, education ministry says | CBC News

Masks will not be mandatory in Ontario schools this September, the province’s education ministry says.

In an email to CBC Toronto on Monday, the ministry said most health and safety requirements for the upcoming school year will remain unchanged from the end of the 2021-22 school year, which includes the voluntary use of masks. 

“School boards will continue to have access to rapid antigen tests to be used in accordance with provincial testing guidance,” reads the email.

The ministry adds that leading medical experts, including the Children’s Health Coalition and Medical Officers of Health, were consulted in this year’s safety protocol plan.                                                   

When the mask mandate was lifted in schools last year, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario called the move “premature” and would put students at risk of having in-person learning disrupted once again.