The teachers' union says that unqualified people are being assigned to classrooms, as the largest school board in Ottawa stated that some classrooms have been closed due to ongoing staff shortages. The teachers' union blames the sixth wave of COVID-19, in addition to the accumulated stress on education workers after two years of the pandemic.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) reported closing 14 classrooms on Tuesday, with advocates saying that at least some of these closures are due to the sixth wave of COVID-19.

Susan Gardner, the local president of the Ontario Elementary Teachers' Federation, said she heard that some schools have more than ten teachers absent from classes, leading to a search for substitute teachers.

She said, "There is a big problem, and we had no options but to combine classes or put students together in one place."

Gardner acknowledged concerns about ventilation but hopes that will improve as the hot weather approaches.

The teachers' union described the current situation with substitute teachers in schools as "chaotic" due to the shortage of permanent staff, with this shortage extending to those substitute teachers as well.

Pat Dixon, who heads the substitute teachers' union in elementary schools, said: "We have a shortage of casual teachers for various reasons, and unfortunately, unqualified people are being placed in classrooms."

"We have lunch-time supervisors in classrooms, and we have [educational assistants] going into classrooms to teach, not to do their usual work."

She added that irregular teachers are still reluctant to go into classrooms, which worsens the shortage, because "school is not a safe place for them."

She said that the cessation of reporting, tracking, and following up on COVID-19 cases, along with no masks in schools, means substitute teachers are unaware of the extent of the risks.

Gardner said the spread of COVID-19, which keeps staff off work and students out of school, has made the high stress levels persistent in schools.

Christie Simmons is a mother of two school-aged children and responsible for a Facebook page tracking the situation inside classrooms; Christie says the current tracking system for COVID-19 remains frustrating for parents.

She said, "I actually get more information from the Facebook page... before I hear anything from the school. Usually, the school is the last place I get any information."

The OCDSB said it has no specific details on why staff are absent, but it wrote in a statement that the reasons could be "personal illness, caregiving for a sick family member, or other various reasons."

The board says citizens were informed earlier this year that schools might be affected by staff shortages.

The OCDSB said: "We will do our best to keep classrooms open, but if we cannot operate safely, disruptions may occur until we can arrange appropriate alternative coverage."

"If this happens, we will do our best to advise parents 24 hours in advance. We encourage parents to make emergency plans and monitor their email for updates from their school."

The OCDSB said the board is discussing with teachers the possibility of keeping the classroom open through remote learning before considering temporary closure, and before assigning a substitute teacher or moving the class.

The board added that it continues to hire substitute staff to increase the available alternatives.

Edited by: Dima Abu Khair