Sask. educator 'disgusted' by minister's move to prevent schools from requiring vaccine proof for extracurriculars
A Prince Albert vice principal says he's frustrated with the Saskatchewan education minister's decision to limit the COVID-19 vaccine-related measures school divisions can take.
Last month, Dustin Duncan sent a letter to school divisions to clarify rules for extracurricular activities, saying COVID-19 vaccinations should not be required for students to participate.
In a letter of his own to Duncan, Ecole St. Mary High School vice principal Dwayne Gareau calls the education minister's move "an irrational decision."
"Up to this point in the school year, any students wanting to be involved in extracurricular programming (a volunteer service offered by staff) at our school had to voluntarily show proof of vaccination to be eligible for involvement," Gareau wrote in the letter shared on Twitter.
He said the school's protocol for extracurricular activities was developed in consultation with the local Saskatchewan Health Authority medical health officer.
"Your recent decision has forcefully required our school division to interrupt our current voluntary proof of vaccination procedures," Gareau said.
The vice-principal said the school division "showed leadership" in what extracurricular programming should look like during a pandemic.
"I am disgusted by your decision to knowingly advocate and campaign for an environment that would clearly be less safe for our staff and students," Gareau wrote.
Gareau declined CTV News' request for an interview.
In an email to CTV News, and education ministry spokesperson said the direction provided by Duncan is consistent with the public health order already in place.
"Recently the Minister of Education directed that boards of education must not require proof of vaccination or the provision of a negative test result as a requirement for students to participate in extra-curricular activities that take place in schools," the ministry statement said.
"We believe this directive promotes the inclusion of as many children as possible in extra-curricular activities which are important to help build a well-rounded educational experience."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.