Hamilton public school board trustees pass temporary indoor mask policy after tense meeting

Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) trustees passed a motion late Monday to implement a temporary, indoor masking requirement in all schools, with no restrictions for anyone who wants to opt out.

While some members of the public criticized the motion for having no opt-out restrictions, trustees said having a masking requirement in place at all — even one that seems toothless — would lead to more masking and subsequently, safer schools.

Passing that motion made HWDSB the first school board in Ontario to implement a masking requirement in months.

The decision comes two weeks after the board strongly recommended students and staff mask indoors.

It also came after a long, tense meeting that saw security eject some hecklers opposed to masking from the gallery at HWDSB headquarters.

A Hamilton Police Services vehicle was parked outside the building, in case the meeting was overtaken by disruptive behaviour and security concerns, which is what happened at a recent, dramatic meeting of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

At least 60 members of the public, almost all of whom were opposed to masking, sat in the gallery and watched the nearly four-hour meeting. Some of them, including children, held signs that read things like "Smiles Rule, Masks Drool."

A handful of spectators supported mask mandates, with two people waving signs.

Almost all trustees attended the meeting in person and most wore masks.

Trustee Kathy Archer attended online. Trustees Becky Buck and Amanda Fehrman were at the meeting in person but didn't wear masks.

Numerous spectators wanted to have a five-minute delegation at the meeting, but the board's rules limit delegations to three per meeting.

Among those who spoke was Dr. Joe Oliver, a local pediatrician.

"It's not hyperbole to say we're not deciding on masks, but on how many kids' lives are changed or shortened or ended," Oliver said.

One delegate who spoke out against masking said a mandate wouldn't solve the crowding issues at hospitals and would make it more challenging for some children with specialized needs.

Trustees consider masking amid heckling

After the delegations spoke, HWDSB staff presented some public health information, as well as other considerations for imposing a mask policy.

A survey from the board showed that since strongly encouraging masking as of Nov. 21, a little more than half of board administrators reported noticing a slight increase in masking in classes.

Sheryl Robinson Petrazzini, the HWDSB's director of education, noted that there's no broader mandate from the provincial government or public health, which was one of the reasons a motion for a mask requirement was deferred two weeks ago.

Hamilton's medical officer of health strongly encourages masking indoors but has also said there needs to be a regional approach for masking to be most effective.

The HWDSB presentation also indicated that supplying more masks for students could cost up to $500,000 per month.

Other considerations included how staff would be able to implement the policy, creating a "barrier-free" exemption process and the potential divisions between people in support of the policy and those against it.

Trustee Graeme Noble originally introduced a motion to impose a mutli-faceted indoor masking policy, which drew heckles from the crowd and questions from various councillors.

Despite it being more detailed than the motion that ended up passing, he said he still didn't feel it went far enough.

Trustees Paul Tut, Sabreina Dahab, Elizabeth Wong and Maria Felix Miller all voiced support for Noble's motion, while board chair Dawn Danko and trustees Becky Buck and Ray Mulholland did the opposite.

Student trustee Gloria Li said the general sentiment among students is they're tired of mandates. She said they'd need something with a timeline, few consequences and something staff and families would rally behind.

Who voted for and against indoor masking

Tut said the school board needed to show "courage," which prompted people in the gallery to heckle.

Throughout the night, security escorted roughly five hecklers out of the meeting. A few others walked out on their own.

But it wasn't all jeers. Mulholland was cheered after saying he'd oppose the motion because he "strongly believes in parental choice." Buck also received praise from the crowd after saying the requirement would cause "chaos."

The crowd got loud enough that trustees — after several warnings — paused the meeting for five minutes and had about half of the spectators leave the gallery.

Upon their return, trustees ended up with a much simpler motion — the current mask requirement — introduced by trustee and former chair Todd White.

Mulholland didn't return to the meeting.

With Danko and Robinson Petrazzini both being satisfied with the language, the motion went to a vote.

Dahab, Danko, Felix Miller, Noble, Tut, White and Wong all voted for the motion. Archer, Buck and Fehrman voted against the motion.

White told CBC Hamilton that the masking requirement isn't effective immediately and will likely take a few days to implement.