Halton's public school board wants the province to ditch the idea of a hybrid model for the new school year, warning it could lead to more COVID-19 infections and that it would be unfair to working parents.
Board trustees have sent a letter to Education Minister Stephen Lecce warning that a hybrid model could lead to tens of thousands of children in childcare on the days they aren't in class. They suggest that those children would then be mixed with students from other schools.
"This model, which disrupts the classroom "bubble", will be counterproductive to limiting widespread community infection and poses great challenges to contact tracing efforts," the letter reads.
Trustees also say there are not enough childcare spaces in Halton Region, which could lead parents to use, temporary, casual, and unlicensed care which,"has no formal obligation to learn about or adhere to strict Public Health protocols to stop the transmission of the virus."
They also warn that if affordable childcare can't be found, parents, mostly women, may be forced to quit their jobs to care for younger children.
You can read the trustees' full letter here.