{"id":81497,"date":"2021-06-21T14:31:01","date_gmt":"2021-06-21T18:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/?p=81497"},"modified":"2021-06-21T14:31:53","modified_gmt":"2021-06-21T18:31:53","slug":"want-safe-classrooms-in-september-get-the-ventilation-right-experts-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mileniostadium.com\/local\/gta\/want-safe-classrooms-in-september-get-the-ventilation-right-experts-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Want safe classrooms in September? Get the ventilation right, experts say"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As it stands, not all students will be vaccinated against COVID-19 by September, something that’s adding pressure to ensure classrooms are well-ventilated. (Nathan Denette\/The Canadian Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tiffany Thornton wants her kids back in class this coming September, but concerns over classroom ventilation and how that could affect COVID-19 transmission have her seriously considering keeping her youngest son in daycare instead of moving him into junior kindergarten.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Universities and colleges wrestle with mandating COVID-19 vaccines for return to campus<\/a><\/p>\n

Like many others, Thornton says pandemic parenting has\u00a0“drained” her at this point\u00a0\u2014 juggling full-time work and online schooling for her son in Grade 4, who has been learning at home for months (Premier Doug Ford\u00a0most recently ruled out a June return,\u00a0citing the risk of causing\u00a0thousands of new COVID-19 cases).<\/p>\n

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Now, with the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus circulating and her boys still too young to be vaccinated, Thornton is wondering if their classroom will be safe when the fall arrives. The Mississauga school where her sons go is old (her colleagues, in their 50s, remember going there) and Thornton said she’s heard nothing from the Peel District School Board about its plans to improve air flow in classrooms.<\/p>\n

“It’s a concern, all the time,” she said. “It has been since registering him for kindergarten. It has been since September last year.”<\/p>\n

This should be the last full week of class for Ontario students, but now, with kids still out of school buildings, it’s also the beginning of a countdown to September. The lingering questions: will GTA schools be able to improve their ventilation systems to limit the spread of the virus? And will parents like Thornton be willing to take that risk?<\/p>\n

CBC Toronto asked every GTA school board where things stand when it comes to improving their facilities. What we found is that different boards are taking different approaches, and almost every board is still working on improvements. Here’s a look at what three of the largest are doing:<\/p>\n