August 13, 2021

Dear Premier Ford,

With the looming presence of a fourth wave of the pandemic and beginning of the school year approaching, the issue of whether a policy making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all eligible students, staff, and visitors who enter public schools is a topic of much discussion within our school communities.

As the representative of Ontario’s 31 English Public School Boards and 10 School Authorities, with their 1.3 million students, I am writing to request that your government act as quickly as possible to implement a policy and strategy to make vaccination mandatory in our schools.

We support the growing number of medical professionals and public health experts calling for such a policy in the education sector. As I’m sure you’ll agree, ensuring that we provide the safest possible environment for our students, staff, and school communities is a top priority for all of us. Swift and decisive action must be taken to ensure that our schools remain as safe as possible, and that we have the greatest chance of keeping our schools open for in-person learning, which is vital to the mental health and development of our students.

The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association and our member boards stand ready to work with the Ministry of Education, Public Health officials, Education sector stakeholders, and our school communities to ensure that the implementation of such a policy occurs as smoothly as possible.

Sincerely,

Cathy Abraham
President, Ontario Public School Boards’ Association

CC: Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce
Minister of Health, Christine Elliott
OPSBA Board of Directors
English Public District School Board Chairs and Directors of Education