School Board Officials Not in Position to Reinstate Mask Mandates: Ontario Education Minister

Students have the choice if they want to wear a mask in schools, minister says

Children wearing masks sit behind screened cubicles in their classroom at St. Barnabas Catholic School during the COVID-19 pandemic in Scarborough, Ont., on Oct. 27, 2020. The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette

Ontario’s Education Minister Stephen Lecce says school board officials are not in the position to make public health decisions, and students across the province have the choice if they want to wear a mask or not.

Lecce’s comment comes following the decision by the city’s largest school board, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), to reinstate a mask mandate for all staff, students, and visitors effective on April 13.