Schools weren't included in Premier Ford's re-opening plan. In fact, Premier Ford is still waiting for a concensus between health professionals and unions.

Help us tell Premier Ford that it's time to listen to health professionals, and open our schools back up. We want to fill up the inboxes of Premier Ford and the other elected officials and bureaucrats involved in decisions about Ontario’s COVID response.

You will find below templates that education workers, parents, and students can use to contact key decision-makers, along with their emails and titles. These letters can be adapted or used to inspire your own letter.

The sooner your write, the better our chances of getting our children back to school before the end of the year.

Emails: 

To: premier@ontario.ca, christine.elliott@ontario.ca, minister.edu@ontario.ca,   

CC:  dr.david.williams@ontario.ca,  Barbara.Yaffe@ontario.ca, Alison.Blair@ontario.ca, nancy.naylor@ontario.ca, helen.angus@ontario.ca 

Parent letter: 

Dear Premier Ford, Minister Elliot, Minister Lecce,

Cc: Dr. Williams, Dr. Yaffe, Ms. Blair, Ms. Naylor, and Ms. Angus

I am a [Description of who you are. Example: a parent of a Grade One Student] in [community]. My child(ren) have struggled a lot over the past year. In fact, children, youth, and their families are struggling all around me. The media is also full of stories of pediatric hospitals and experts sharing how continually  closed schools are causing severe harm to children and youth.

Premier Ford and Minister Lecce have said that your government was waiting for Dr. Williams to say it was safe for kids to return to school; but, on May 20th, Premier Ford said Dr. Williams has wanted to open schools for several weeks. Premier Ford also previously said that golf courses wouldn’t open before schools, but, on May 22nd, golf courses were opened while schools remained closed. 

Premier Ford  has said he cannot open schools without a consensus between health professionals and the teachers’ unions. This is not true: The decision about whether the schools can operate safely while managing COVID risk, should be informed by high quality evidence and real world data. This is now widely available and indicates that schools are safe and do not contribute meaningfully to community transmission. 

Health professionals - including experts from public health, infectious diseases, pediatrics, and mental health - have made it clear that our schools should be open and that keeping them closed puts children and youth at extreme risk. The Science Table has also said that schools should be opened at this point given their importance and that the risk schools pose at this point is low enough for local public health to manage.

Our children should not suffer because of labour issues between teachers’ unions and the government. It is time for your government to get our children and youth back to school.  A return to school is critical for their health and well-being.

Sincerely,

[your name]

Education worker letter: 

Dear Premier Ford, Minister Elliot, Minister Lecce,

Cc: Dr. Williams, Dr. Yaffe, Ms. Blair, Ms. Naylor, and Ms. Angus

I am a [Description of who you are. Example: a Grade Four teacher]] in [community].  The media is full of stories of pediatric hospitals and experts sharing how closed schools are causing severe harm. I see this among the students in my class, many of whom are struggling. 

Online education does not work for most of my students for a variety of reasons from limited access to the internet, to low technology skills, to distractions in their home, to lacking a connection with me and their peers. These struggles are intensified among my students with special needs, those living in poverty, and those with other barriers to learning.  Some of my students have disappeared entirely and those that remain are not learning to their full capacity.

Premier Ford and Minister Lecce have said that your government was waiting for Dr. Williams to say it was safe for kids to return to school; but, on May 20th, Premier Ford said Dr. Williams has wanted to open schools for several weeks. Premier Ford also previously said that golf courses wouldn’t open before schools, but, on May 22nd, golf courses were opened while schools remained closed. 

Premier Ford  has said he cannot open schools without a consensus between health professionals and the teachers’ unions. This is not true: The decision about whether the schools can operate safely while managing COVID risk, should be informed by high quality evidence and real world data. This is now widely available and indicates that schools are safe and do not contribute meaningfully to community transmission. 

As an education worker, I’m calling on you to listen to the many health professionals  - including experts from public health, infectious diseases, pediatrics, and mental health - have made it clear that our schools should be open and that keeping them closed puts children and youth at extreme risk. The Science Table has also said that schools should be opened at this point given their importance and that the risk schools pose at this point is low enough for local public health to manage.

It is time for your government to get our students back to school. A return to school is critical for their health and well-being.

Sincerely,

[your name]

Student letter: 

Dear Premier Ford, Minister Elliot, Minister Lecce,

Cc: Dr. Williams, Dr. Yaffe, Ms. Blair, Ms. Naylor, and Ms. Angus

I am a [description of who you are. Example: a Grade Four student] in [community]. I have struggled a lot over the past year when schools have been closed. Here’s how [describe. Example: bored and lonely, more fights with parents and siblings, too much noise at home to learn, more fights with siblings or parents, body hurts, etc]. In fact, my friends and classmates are also struggling. 

It is so important that you find a way to get us back into school, before and after school programs, and extracurricular activities. I know that COVID-19 has been a big problem in Ontario, but it hasn’t been a big problem in my community or school. The biggest problem for me and other kids in my community is being out of school. 

I hear many doctors saying that schools should be opened now, including Dr. Williams. Please listen to them. The best thing you can do for kids like me is to open our schools. 

Sincerely,

[your name]