A requirement for temporary masking will be re-implemented within Thames Valley District School Board buildings.

During a special meeting Tuesday night, Trustees voted 7-5 to put masking rules back in place after some debate among board members.

When masking mandates were lifted by province last month, the school board subsequently announced it would follow the guidelines of not requiring face coverings to be worn indoors however, it “highly encouraged” staff and students to continue wearing them.

Last week, the board voted against a motion to reinstate masking put forward by Trustee Corrine Rahman. On Tuesday, Board Chair Liz Ann Pizzolato said the outcome from that meeting may have resulted in a miscount, leading Trustees to reconvene to discuss the possibility of passing the motion.

“We are meeting tonight because of the considerable concerns that have been raised by members of the community,” Rahman said. “We have an obligation to students and staff we must consider temporarily reinstating mask use in all TVDSB buildings.”

After nearly two hours of debate, including on whether the school board should use verbiage of a mask “requirement” rather than a “mandate,” the motion passed 7-5. Those opposing the vote were Trustee Graham Hart, Trustee Sean Hunt, Trustee Arlene Morell, Trustee Meagan Ruddock and Trustee Bruce Smith.

Ahead of the poll vote, several trustees voiced concern as implementing indoor masking cannot be forced. The school board’s legal counsel and executive officer Ali Chabar also noted that while the motion can be passed, it will not be enforceable.

He made reference to when the Ministry of Education introduced masking mandates in schools, children in Kindergarten were encouraged, but not required to wear masks, while students in Grade 1-12 did have to wear them.

“[School] boards in and of themselves don’t have the jurisdiction to create this enforcement mechanism, they rely on the provincial legislation,” Chabar said. “I’m only specifically talking about what happens in a scenario where a student fails, or decides that they’re not going to [wear a mask], that there’s no enforcement mechanism available to the board.”

Rahman said with an increase in COVID-19 cases locally, and the number of parents who have reached out asking for the reimplementation of masks, it is clear that the board needs to require masking rather than just “highly recommending” it.

“The ‘requirement’ piece will make a difference when it comes to reinforcing the message,” Rahman said. “There are many rules that we have in schools that do not have enforcement in them.”