Teachers, staff at Scarborough elementary school

refuse to work following COVID-19 outbreak...

An elementary school in Scarborough that remains open despite a COVID-19 outbreak being declared at the institution has prompted some staff members to voice their concerns.

On Friday, 11 cases — nine staff and two students — were confirmed at a wing in Glamorgan Junior Public School near Birchmount Road and Highway 401.

This resulted in 58 students having to self-isolate following orders by Toronto Public Health.

Early Monday morning, staff members were seen outside the school refusing work, saying the school should be closed amidst the outbreak.

“The majority of the cases were in one wing in the school,” Shari Schwartz-Maltz, a spokesperson at the Toronto District School Board, said on Monday.

“Toronto Public Health (TPH) has determined that while this is an outbreak the school does not need to be closed, so we continue on. The teachers feel differently and are on a work stoppage today,” she added.

Staff at Glamorgan Junior Public School asked principal Teri Molnar and the TDSB to temporarily close the school or enforce additional safety measures but, as of Monday, the school remains open.

A spokesman for the TDSB confirmed last week that the COVID-19 outbreak was limited to one wing of the school and said that the rest of Glamorgan Junior Public School was not exposed to the virus.

In an update on Ontario’s COVID-19 website, health officials confirm nine cases of the virus are being reported at the school, with two staff members having since recovered.

Ontario reported 71 new COVID-19 cases across its schools on Monday with just under 900 cases confirmed in the past 14 days.

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