Hamilton public school board approves mandatory masking for all students

All students at Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board will be required to wear a mask in school.

Trustees passed the motion unanimously late Monday, along with a revised reopening plan with potentially smaller class sizes. Originallly,  only students in Grade 4 and up had to wear masks.

Trustee Carole Paikin Miller moved the motion.

"These are little ones and their lives are just as precious as everyone else," she said.

"I think we should make sure they're safe."

This comes as mandates have been put in place for all students to wear masks on the bus and it follows the decision by last week by the Hamilton Catholic board that all students had to wear masks.

Mandatory masking has been a sticking point with some parents who wonder why some students (Grade 4 and up) have to wear them while younger kids don't.

Trustee Maria Felix Miller expressed concerns about the word "mandatory" and how it may affect attitudes toward those who can't wear masks.

Trustees Becky Buck, Penny Deathe and Dawn Danko also expressed interest in creating an opportunity for students to pull down their masks for a moment to take a breath if needed.

Buck said her "heart breaks" for students who may struggle with masks.

The board said it is normalizing that not everyone can wear a mask and said creating a space for students to remove masks could lead to "unintended consequences" like affecting physical distancing.

But the board also said it would emphasize "compassion" for students who may struggle to wear masks and said it would prioritize education on mask wearing before progressive discipline.

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