The local president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario is questioning the province's decision to offer online learning again next school year.
Mario Spagnuolo says this will only throw teachers for "another loop" in what's already been a challenging two years.
On Thursday, Ontario announced it would require school boards to offer remote learning as an option for students in the next school year due to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spagnuolo says students should be in the classroom.
"The ongoing systemic changes are required to ensure that all students have a safe and effective learning in-person environment. So we need to work together with the government to make some changes, but the best place for kids to be is to learn in-person in front of a teacher in a classroom with their peers."
He says the government is sending mixed messages.
"With the government making changes to restrictions and mandates, they're telling the rest of the community we're trying to get back to normal. Yet, at the same time, they're announcing a virtual school for September which is in six months time. So I don't understand the logic behind that."
Spagnuolo says the decision doesn't make much sense.
"It doesn't align with what they're saying to the rest of the sectors to say let's get back to what was pre-COVID and normal times. Yet, in the education system, they're still offering a virtual school. So it is puzzling."
Ontario is also investing $225-million in tutoring and other programs to address impacts the pandemic has had on learning — but Spagnuolo points out the education sector still isn't even as $500-million was cut from schools in the province's 2022 budget.
— with files from AM800's Rusty Thomson