An elementary school teacher in Toronto, Canada has been put on leave by the school district after he made comments urging educators in the province to segregate masked students from unmasked students once the provincial face-covering mandate lifts next week.
Toronto District School Board (TDSB) employee Peter Hasek came under criticism over the weekend when he tweeted that teachers should create "Classrooms w a segregated seating plan. Students split into masked/unmasked sections," when classes resume from March break.
"Hepa filters placed between the two [sections]," he wrote. "Parents who choose to mask their kids will appreciate your consideration. #MasksWork."
Last week, the Ontario government announced it would lift all remaining COVID restrictions by the end of April. Beginning March 21, masks will no longer be required inside most public spaces, including schools.
On Monday, TDSB confirmed to Newsweek that Hasek had been been "put on home assignment pending the outcome of an investigation."
"We strongly disagree with this social media post. The opinion shared by this staff member does not reflect the position of the Toronto District School Board and this will not be happening in any of our classrooms," the school board said in the statement.
According to Hasek's LinkedIn profile, he has worked as a music teacher at the George B Little Public School in Scarborough since 2001.
While Hasek faced an onslaught of backlash online that eventually pushed him to delete his Twitter account, the teacher is not the only educator who has criticized the decision.
In a March 9 statement, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (EFTO) expressed concern over the removal of masks in schools, alleging that elected officials were rushing to lift restrictions in order to win over voters ahead of the June 2 election.
"Lifting the mask mandate too soon may result in further disruption to in-person learning and negative impacts on the health and safety of ETFO members, students, and their families. Ontarians deserve stability and safety, not more chaos," union head Karen Brown said.
On Monday, TDSB told Newsweek: "For the past two years, the TDSB has prioritized the health and safety of students, staff and school communities."
"As we move to a more sustainable, long-term approach to living with COVID-19, families are encouraged to continue with the layers of protection that make them feel comfortable and our schools continue to be welcoming and inclusive spaces for all, regardless of personal decisions related to COVID-19 health measures," the statement read.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more
