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

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.

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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.