{"id":88198,"date":"2020-07-30T09:34:09","date_gmt":"2020-07-30T13:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=88198"},"modified":"2020-07-30T09:34:09","modified_gmt":"2020-07-30T13:34:09","slug":"covid-19-provinces-must-respect-childrens-rights-to-education-whether-or-not-schools-reopen-in-september-commentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/covid-19-provinces-must-respect-childrens-rights-to-education-whether-or-not-schools-reopen-in-september-commentary\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19: Provinces must respect children\u2019s rights to education whether or not schools reopen in September | Commentary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/anne-levesque-972731\">By Anne Levesque<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/luniversite-dottawa-university-of-ottawa-1165\">University of Ottawa<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Children and youth have unwittingly become hot potatoes in one of the most pressing issues our society now faces regarding coronavirus: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/toronto\/mitigating-risks-to-schools-reopening-1.5665077\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">whether and how schools will reopen in September<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Ontario is expected to make an announcement this week confirming details about its <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ontario.ca\/page\/approach-reopening-schools-2020-2021-school-year#section-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">approach to reopening schools<\/a><\/span>, with <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/b-c-weighing-different-options-for-september-with-school-announcement-expected-wednesday-1.5665263\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">British Columbia\u2019s announcement expected on Wednesday<\/a><\/span>. <em>(ED.\u2014Details on B.C.&#8217;s plan can be read <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/bc-back-to-school-plan-1.5666749\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a><\/span>.)<\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"float: left; margin-right: 14px;\"><strong><broadstreet-zone zone-id=\"45658\" keywords=\"\" soft-keywords=\"true\" zone-alias=\"\"><\/broadstreet-zone><\/strong><\/div>\n<p>Some parents in desperate need of respite are urging a full-time and in-person return of students. They point to the devastating <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisnotaplan.ca\/?fbclid=IwAR2Ec_36m2yRc3MVEZZeoneauuj5DfyXXVMC7Oiaemp3x92M7pdhEC3Iqhk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">economic consequences of having a large proportion of workers hamstrung by child care<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>The evidence is compelling: A recent study from RBC found <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/toronto\/women-employment-canada-covid-19-1.5652788\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">women are participating in the workforce at the lowest levels in three decades<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>In the other camp, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/toronto\/more-funding-health-equity-measures-needed-ahead-of-september-school-reopening-osstf-1.5610725\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">politicians, unions and school administrators have warned<\/a><\/span> of the potential health risks that a full-time reopening would pose to staff and students.<\/p>\n<p>But children and youth aren\u2019t hot potatoes, they\u2019re human beings with rights. As a member of the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/droitcivil.uottawa.ca\/interdisciplinary-research-laboratory-rights-child\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Inter-disciplinary Research Laboratory on the Rights of the Child<\/a><\/span> at the University of Ottawa, I believe that we can depoliticize the back-to-school debate by reframing it with the rights of children and youth at its centre.<\/p>\n<p>But does this mean that children and youth have the right to return to full-time, in-person instruction in September?<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Legal obligation<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Governments now face difficult decisions that involve the delicate balance of public health and economic sustainability. At the same time, all decisions must comply with international human rights law, given the fact that Canada is one of the 193 states that ratified the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/professionalinterest\/pages\/crc.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Convention on the Rights of Children<\/a> (CRC)<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>This means offering quality education to our children is a legal obligation. If governments want to lessen the quality of education provided to children and youth, they must first prove that they\u2019ve given careful consideration of all alternatives and provided the maximum available resources to avoid violating the rights of children and youth.<\/p>\n<p>In this regard, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=%23schoolsnotbars&amp;src=typed_query\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SchoolsNotBars is more than a catchy hashtag<\/a><\/span> trending on social media. It accurately describes the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/opinion\/editorials\/article-bars-are-reopening-before-schools-that-doesnt-make-sense\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">policy choices that must be made<\/a><\/span> in order <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/7156569\/us-coronavirus-schools-bars\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">to limit community viral transmissions<\/a><\/span> so that we can respect the human rights of children and youth to a quality education.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Child- and youth-centred approach<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The Convention on the Rights of Children is the most widely ratified human rights document globally and it represents a watershed change in how children and youth are regarded. It acknowledges them as full-fledged human beings and rights bearers, and moves away from seeing them as passive recipients of adult actions.<\/p>\n<p>An overarching obligation of states under the convention is to give primary consideration to the best interests of children and youth in all matters concerning them. Canada\u2019s ratification of it means that all levels of governments must ensure that their decisions and actions comply with the convention.<\/p>\n<p>The best interests of children and youth appear not to be been fully considered in some pandemic policies.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, Stage 2 of Ontario\u2019s reopening plan allowed for adult-specific <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/7101086\/toronto-peel-region-enter-stage-2-ontario-coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">indulgences such as drinks on patios and nail salons<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>But while these openings meant adults could drink and get manicures, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ontario.ca\/page\/reopening-ontario\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cplaygrounds [and] play structures\u201d were slated to \u201cremain closed,\u201d<\/a><\/span> despite the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/7173943\/closed-playgrounds-can-open-experts-coronavirus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">low-risk activities<\/a><\/span> associated with them. The rights of children and youth to play, guaranteed by the convention and vital to their development, continued to be violated.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Rights-based decisions<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>The right to education is guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of Children and is intrinsically linked with the best interests of children and youth. As observed by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/issues\/education\/sreducation\/Pages\/SREducationIndex.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">education is both a human right in itself and an indispensable means of realizing other human rights<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Children have a right to an education that develops their full potential, including their respect for human rights, their sense of identity and affiliation and socialization, in an environment that prepares them for all aspects of life.<\/p>\n<p>Schools are where children and youth go to have a wide range of their rights fulfilled. These include the right to be protected from violence, the right to receive information, the right to play, the right to access social support and to exercise their freedom of thought and assembly.<\/p>\n<p>While we are rightly called to account <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.trc.ca\/assets\/pdf\/Honouring_the_Truth_Reconciling_for_the_Future_July_23_2015.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">for historic<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crrf-fcrr.ca\/images\/Clearinghouse\/ePubFaShRacScho.pdf\">and present<\/a><\/span> systemic problems with schools as sites of injustice, discrimination or abuse, schools can also be sanctuaries for marginalized or <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/4-strategies-to-support-vulnerable-students-when-schools-reopen-after-coronavirus-136201\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">vulnerable children and youth<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>For example, children and youth with disabilities rely on schools to access technologies that will help them overcome communication barriers. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gsanetwork.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gay-Straight Alliances<\/a><\/span> provide safety and confidentiality for LGBTQ2 students to affirm or educate themselves about sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender identity and gender expression.<\/p>\n<p>Schools can also help counter <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canlii.org\/en\/ca\/scc\/doc\/2020\/2020scc13\/2020scc13.html?searchUrlHash=AAAAAQANbGFyb2NxdWUgMjAyMAAAAAAB&amp;resultIndex=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">linguistic and cultural assimilation in Canada\u2019s official language minority communities<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>Must prove all alternatives considered<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>Under international human rights law, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.refworld.org\/pdfid\/4538838c22.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the scaling back of the quality of the education provided to children and youth ought to be avoided<\/a><\/span>. It is permitted in only in very limited circumstances. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ottawacitizen.com\/opinion\/wallner-make-no-mistake-the-threat-to-equity-in-education-outcomes-in-canada-is-real\/wcm\/d0fb9c7f-4bac-42b1-9066-ad3a1e53a4d8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Educational experts have argued that online and part-time education is insufficient, inadequate and inequitable<\/a><\/span> compared to safe, full-time, in-person instruction.<em><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>If governments want to lessen the quality of education provided, they must first prove they\u2019ve given careful consideration to all alternatives and provided the maximum available resources to avoid violating the rights of children and youth.<\/p>\n<p>The government must canvass all other physical locations available to hold in-person instruction to guarantee small class sizes and comply with physical distancing policies if the current infrastructure is lacking.<\/p>\n<p>Accommodation plans must be made for students and teachers who are immunocompromised.<\/p>\n<p>Measures must also be taken so that <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/sending-children-back-to-school-during-coronavirus-has-human-rights-implications-137251\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">schools can open safely while respecting the rights of students and teachers to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health<\/a><\/span>. This means that the return-to-school plan must involve efforts to limit community transmission.<\/p>\n<p>A preliminary budget prepared by <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/7194317\/coronavirus-toronto-district-school-board-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Toronto District School Board <\/a><\/span> shows that financial costs associated with implementing the required public health guidelines would be steep.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>If it is truly unsafe<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p>If returning to in-person instruction is truly impossible for public health reasons after considering all of these options, training and support must be provided to teachers to create and deliver quality distance education to children and youth that is adapted to their needs and <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/coronavirus-distance-learning-poses-challenges-for-some-families-of-children-with-disabilities-136696\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">accessible to those with various needs and circumstances<\/a><\/span>. Developing curricula in a haphazard manner isn\u2019t acceptable.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not unusual that respecting human rights involves considerable financial expenses and complex logistical hurdles.<\/p>\n<p>The right to vote, for example, requires the creation of <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/election-day-what-you-need-to-know-1.5328369\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">20,000 polling stations<\/a><\/span> and the hiring of more than <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elections.ca\/content.aspx?section=med&amp;dir=bkg&amp;document=num&amp;lang=e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">233,000 people to tend to them<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Adults must now make similar large-scale efforts and financial expenditures in order to respect the rights of our children and youth to a quality and safe education in September.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/142802\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/anne-levesque-972731\">Anne Levesque<\/a>, Assistant professor, Faculty of Law, <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/luniversite-dottawa-university-of-ottawa-1165\">L\u2019Universit\u00e9 d\u2019Ottawa\/University of Ottawa<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/covid-19-provinces-must-respect-childrens-rights-to-education-whether-or-not-schools-reopen-in-september-142802\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">original article<\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Don\u2019t miss out on Doppler!<\/h5>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/dont-miss-out-on-doppler\/\"><u>here<\/u><\/a> to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.<br \/>\nLocal news in your inbox three times per week!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a style=\"background: #5cb85c url('https:\/\/d1iczxrky3cnb2.cloudfront.net\/red_logo.png') no-repeat 37px; color: #fff; text-decoration: none; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; display: inline-block; font-size: 16px; padding: 15px 38px; padding-left: 75px; -webkit-border-radius: 2px; -moz-border-radius: 2px; border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0 1px 0 0 #1f5a89; text-shadow: 0 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);\" href=\"https:\/\/donorbox.org\/support-huntsville-doppler\">Click here to support local news<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><broadstreet-zone zone-id=\"45657\" keywords=\"\" soft-keywords=\"true\" zone-alias=\"\"><\/broadstreet-zone>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Anne Levesque, University of Ottawa Children and youth have unwittingly become hot potatoes in one of the most pressing issues our society now faces regarding coronavirus: whether and [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1903,"featured_media":88203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - 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