Parents Are Protesting In The Streets As Ontario's COVID-19 Cases In Schools Surpass 1,000

"Students deserve better."
Contributor

Today marks another milestone for Ontario's COVID-19 cases.

Over 1,000 total infections have now been reported in schools across the province. As of Wednesday, there are 1,040.

The news comes as parents and teachers in Parkdale take to the streets to protest unsafe conditions in schools.

Editor's Choice: Ontario's Beloved Pumpkin Patch Is Officially Closed This Year

October 14th is about saying Parkdale students deserve better.

Ashleigh Doherty, teacher at Parkdale Public School

Locals were joined by Parkdale Organize this morning to protest "class sizes, funding cuts and poor communication between schools and families," according to the group's statement.

Parkdale teacher Ashley Doherty commented on recent cuts to public school funding.

"Over the past few years, we’ve seen schools in Parkdale lose funding and much-needed supports,” she said.

“Parents are saying that online is not a solution for them but they don’t feel safe with how large our classes are. We support parents’ calls for smaller classes and safe schools." 

Both Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce have been adamant in saying that class sizes are currently as small as possible. 

The TDSB has struggled to accommodate the "overwhelming demand for virtual learning," forcing many students to start school without a teacher due to shortages.

  • Abby Neufeld was a writer at Narcity Canada. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Professional Communications at the University of Victoria. Her past work has been published in The Toronto Star, Bitch Media, Canadian Dimension, This Magazine, and more. In 2019, Abby co-founded The New Twenties, an environmentally-focused literary and arts magazine.

CRA offers automatic tax filing and it could help 'put more money in your pocket'

You could be eligible for the service without even knowing it.

Canadian passport fees are going up this month and you'll pay more to get the travel document

"Fees for travel documents will be adjusted each year to align with inflation."

Mark Carney got publicly called out by a Liberal MP for his support of Iran strikes (VIDEO)

Liberal MP Will Greaves released a video openly criticizing Carney's stance.

BC is getting rid of time changes and the last spring forward is this weekend

The province will soon be on daylight saving time permanently.

Gene-edited pork has been approved in Canada but labels aren't mandatory

It's the only genetically modified meat approved for sale in Canada.

Ontario's safest cities for driving were revealed and you might not expect the top locations

It's based on accidents and infractions like distracted driving and speeding. 🚗