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Ontario School Safety

@onschoolsafety.bsky.social
3.4K followers 3.2K following 159 posts

Demanding clean, breathable air for our kids & ed workers. Healthy, safe & stable schools & buses for ALL. We believe clean air can be achieved by many means: ventilation, filtration, N95 masking, UV disinfection, & isolating.

PostsRepliesMedia
Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Because young children’s lungs are still developing and smoke can affect anyone’s health even at low levels, governments must take responsibility to ensure that schools and school buses (places where people are required to be!) always have clean indoor air to breathe.
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MJ Nabuurs @mjnabuurs.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Thank you, @geoffypjohnston.bsky.social, for keeping the #AQ #IAQ conversation in the forefront. As extreme climate events like wildfires & extreme heat push us indoors more, it’s important we do what we can to make the indoor air optimum. Check out this linked study: jech.bmj.com/content/earl...
jech.bmj.com
Environmental exposure and risk of death by suicide, attempted suicide and suicide ideation: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Background The impact of environmental exposure on suicide risk is poorly understood. We investigated the relationship between four environmental exposures—air, noise, light and water pollution—and th...
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MJ Nabuurs @mjnabuurs.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
There are NO downsides to improving the quality of air in the spaces in which our kids and their educators spend the most time. Even the cost makes itself up in reducing replacement staffing costs, bettering education, decreasing healthcare burden, etc.
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Did you know that pregnant staff, aging educators, and asthmatic students suffer disproportionately in extreme classroom heat? 🌡️ Ontario must address IAQ comprehensively to ensure safe temperatures AND clean air for all. Modernizing IAQ is basic health and safety. thenarwhal.ca/ontario-peel...
thenarwhal.ca
For some Ontario students, there is no escape from the heat
As the school year begins, families and advocates worry children in Peel region exposed to extreme heat in classrooms
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Christine Guptill @healthmusicperf.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
So important, in all indoor environments but ESPECIALLY the learning environments of our children.
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andrew @teachrprecarity.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
As the school year begins and teachers’ unions’ collective agreements expire, it’s important to consider six myths circulating and causing confusion about the work of teachers in the Ontario public education system. #onted www.thespec.com/opinion/cont...
thespec.com
Six education myths in Ontario
Underfunding of education began in the 1990s and Doug Ford has made it worse.
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Parents can also help push the needle for making schools and school buses safer environments with clean air to breathe. Share our advocacy resources today! 🔸IAQ investigation guide 🔹Letter templates 🔸IAQ slide decks 🔹IAQ and masking infographics www.ontarioschoolsafety.com/school-advoc...
Toronto Start Article
Health
Is your kid refusing to return to class? Back-to-school anxiety is on the rise - here's how parents can help
We asked experts for advice on how to best support your kids as they navigate back-to-school season.
Sept. 7, 2026 | 4 min read
Picture of an adult and a kid standing out front of a school with the doors open.
Here’s how parents and caregivers can best support their kids through the back-to-school jitters.
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
What happens outside impacts what happens inside classrooms and on the school bus. On International Day for Clean Air for blue skies, let's talk about indoor air. It can be far more polluted than outdoor air and speed up the transmission of airborne viruses. #OntEd #IAQ www.cleanairblueskies.org
cleanairblueskies.org
International Day of Clean Air for blue skies
7 September is the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies as designated by the UN General Assembly. Visit the official site for more.
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
It's almost time for Back to School! We’re looking forward to a great school year, and we want to help you educate and advocate to your teachers, principals, trustees, MPs, MPPs, bus drivers and more about improving indoor air quality.
ontarioschoolsafety.com
Home | Ontario School Safety
Ontario school safety is fighting for every student who deserves a safe education and every educator who deserves a healthy workplace.
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David Keegan @drdavidkeegan.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
ospe.on.ca/advocacy/a-m... This is how it’s done. Listening to, and being guided by, science.
ospe.on.ca
A Major Win for Indoor Air Quality: Toronto's Board of Health Moves to Adopt Stronger Ventilation Standards
The Ontario Society of Professional Engineers celebrates a major win for indoor air quality with stronger ventilation standards in Toronto.
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Wildfire season means the tools we have to manage indoor air quality are more important than ever! People are driven into tightly sealed indoor settings, which can lead to increased CO2 levels and illness spread. Outside smoke can still find its way in, impacting our lungs and hearts. #cleantheair
Screenshot of the Weather Network's map of Ontario showing the colourful Air Quality Health Index across the province, ranging from 2 (Ottawa and North Bay) to 11+ in areas like Windsor, Thunder Bay, and Sault Ste. Marie. The map shows a score of 9 in Toronto and St. Catherines.
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andrew @teachrprecarity.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
"it’s irresponsible for governments to “dismiss the rising rates of some conditions as being caused by population aging, former pandemic measures, or lifestyle choices,” without considering the role viruses like COVID play in triggering other illnesses." www.thespec.com/opinion/cont...
thespec.com
It’s no surprise more workers and students are calling in sick
Countries are witnessing record sick leave as Long COVID affects millions, leading to renewed discussions on workplace safety and workers’ rights.
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
“Teaching is one of the most vulnerable jobs for COVID and Long COVID. If people are sick more often, it’s best not to force them into sick buildings more often.” @teachrprecarity.bsky.social
thespec.com
It’s no surprise more workers and students are calling in sick
Countries are witnessing record sick leave as Long COVID affects millions, leading to renewed discussions on workplace safety and workers’ rights.
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Check out this recording, including our very own @mjnabuurs.bsky.social, sharing what she's learned related to indoor air quality on the World Health Network's Clean Air Panel Discussion 2: Safer Schools. YouTube 🔗: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Huzb...
youtube.com
Clean Air Panel Discussion 2: Safer Schools | World Health Network
YouTube video by World Health Network
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World Health Network @thewhn.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Join WHN's Clean Air Panel Discussion 2: Safer Schools on June 29th from 11 AM to 1 PM ET to hear from a panel of experts working to improve air quality in educational settings. Learn why clean air in schools matters, what solutions are available today, and how we can create (...)
World Health Network event graphic in pale blue with the whn.global logo and the tagline “World Health Network — Science for a safer, healthier world.” Large text reads: “Join WHN’s Clean Air Panel Discussion 2: Safer Schools.” Additional text reads: “Hear from experts working to improve indoor air quality in schools and educational settings. June 29th | 11 AM to 1 PM ET.” A blue-to-green button says: “REGISTER NOW →”. The lower half features a soft 3D illustration of a white school building surrounded by trees and greenery.World Health Network speaker graphic with two white rounded panels and circular headshots. The whn.global logo and the tagline “World Health Network — Science for a safer, healthier world” appear at the top. Text reads: “Ruth Brooker. Ruth is the founder of Clean Air for Kids, a UK nonprofit advocating for better air quality in schools. Inspired by her son’s leukemia diagnosis, she works to advance policies that create healthier, safer learning environments for all children.” The second panel reads: “Liesl McConchie. Liesl McConchie is an education and brain science expert with 25+ years of experience. She works with leading clean air organizations to help schools improve learning, attendance, and health through better indoor air quality.” Footer text: “Clean Air Panel Discussion 2: Safer Schools.”World Health Network speaker graphic with two white rounded panels and circular headshots. The whn.global logo and the tagline “World Health Network — Science for a safer, healthier world” appear at the top. Text reads: “Lisa Greenfield. Lisa Greenfield is the Midwest Regional Program Manager for the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council. A longtime educator and indoor air quality advocate, she works with schools across the Midwest to create healthier learning environments.” The second panel reads: “Mary Jo Nabuurs. Mary Jo Nabuurs is a spokesperson for Ontario School Safety and a leading advocate for healthier schools and public spaces. She works to advance indoor air quality, public health, and evidence-based education.” Footer text: “Clean Air Panel Discussion 2: Safer Schools.”
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MJ Nabuurs @mjnabuurs.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Grateful to have been asked alongside fearless #IAQ advocates, Ruth, Liesl and Lisa, to have a chat about the huge role the air we breathe indoors has on our kids’ lives & on those in the community. Sharing successes, failures, tips & tricks, we hope you’ll register! @onschoolsafety.bsky.social
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
#SKW2026 is about bringing attention to preventable injuries in kids. We’re highlighting that injury from pathogens like COVID-19 are growing, with symptom severity meeting or exceeding that of cancer and autism. There is still no national standard for long-COVID prevention or care in kids.
respiratory-therapy.com
The Toll of Pediatric Long COVID
Children with long COVID report higher levels of fatigue and sleep disturbance than those with cancer or autism.
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Brain damage in all its forms, including from infectious diseases like COVID-19, deserves attention, research, funding, and public education on prevention. OSS knows that improving indoor air quality in schools and on school buses is one way to do that. #CleanTheAir #IAQ #BrainInjuryPrevention
Purple background on the left fading to a blue sky and clouds on the right

Brain Injury
Awareness Month
June
Fly The Flag

A purple brain icon on the left with a purple, orange, green, and blue circle around it.

A purple-white-purple flag with the same brain icon in the middle, on a silver flag pole, on the right.
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
It's National AccessAbility Week, and this year's theme is "Building a Strong, Accessible Canada." We believe that a strong, accessible Canada means improving indoor air quality in schools and on buses for the most vulnerable kids, thereby ensuring clean air for all. #AccessibleCanada #NAAW2026
Multi-coloured dots (reds, yellow, black) with a red maple leaf in a circular pattern, with a white background. Black and red text that reads:

National 
AccessAbility 
Week 2025
Building a Strong, Accessible Canada
May 31 to June 6, 2026
Canada
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
“Airborne pathogens: How aerosolized infectious agents spread” 🔗: www.iqair.com/ca/newsroom/...
An photo of people on a subway car wearing surgical masks. One person is not wearing a mask and coughing or sneezing into their hand.
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
On World Asthma Day, we support this year's theme: improving access to anti-inflammatory inhalers for everyone with asthma. We also call for mitigating pollutants/airborne viruses in schools and on school buses to reduce the need for inhalers to begin with. #WorldAsthmaDay #AsthmaCare #CleanTheAir
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Long Covid Families @longcovidfam.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
So grateful to see #PediatricLongCOVID on the front page of The Boston Globe. Thank you to 16-year-old Kaylee for her courage in sharing her story, and to reporter Aayushi Datta for telling it well. We were grateful to contribute to the piece.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/23/m...
Image of front page of Boston Globe lead story long Covid also taking too long kids
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Mark Ungrin @mark-ungrin.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Getting #longCOVID onto the front page of a major newspaper like this is a huge win, and will leave medicine's management class needing to change its underwear. Between this sort of thing and the UK COVID Inquiry Module 3 report, the coverup is crumbling. Next up: accountability #medsky #polisky
covid19.public-inquiry.uk
Module 3: The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the healthcare systems of the United Kingdom - UK Covid-19 Inquiry
The independent public inquiry to examine the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
“Accessibility begins with safe workplaces. Occupational health and safety must be understood as a core accessibility issue. The pandemic continues to pose a risk to workers. Indoor air quality, ventilation, and infection prevention are fundamental workplace safety issues.”
acep-cape.ca
Submission to the Auditor General on behalf of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees’ Disability Justice Caucus | CAPE
Please see this submission to the Auditor General on behalf of the Can
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Dr. Jen Irwin @drjenirwin.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Outstanding submission by the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, representing 27,000+ members, to the Auditor General - no head-in-the-sand here; this union is clear that COVID-19 remains a threat to employees (w & w-out disability) & they want action! www.acep-cape.ca/en/news/subm...
acep-cape.ca
Submission to the Auditor General on behalf of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees’ Disability Justice Caucus | CAPE
Please see this submission to the Auditor General on behalf of the Can
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Karuna S @karunas.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
This is the 2nd article I’ve seen that cites illness as the number 1 cause of student absences. No one is suggesting any solutions to the biggest problem, why not? We know improving air quality can reduce many illnesses and improve concentration. Schools already have air filters. What’s the holdup?
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Karuna S @karunas.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
“UofO expert Tracy Vaillancourt has noted that poor attendance is linked to lower academic achievement and poorer outcomes, and that students' most cited reason for missing school is sickness, followed by medical appointments, parents allowing them the day off, being too tired, or being on vacation”
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
On Canada's #DayOfMourning, we honour every worker, including educators & school staff, lost to workplace illness or injury. Schools are workplaces too, and airborne disease remains an under-addressed occupational hazard for staff, bus drivers, & kids. We honour the past by protecting the living.
A dark background with yellow dandelion seeds floating around.

April 28
Day of
Mourning

We remember
workers who have died,
were injured, or became
ill from their job.

We commit
to protecting workers
and preventing further
workplace tragedies.

Canada
ccohs.ca
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Our volunteers are out on the streets today making some noise about the need for clean air in schools and on school buses! 📣📣📣 #OntEd
Two OSS volunteers wearing coats and gloves outside and holding a sign that says “clean air in schools & buses”
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TheReSisters @theresisters.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Congrats to our very own ReSister, @mjnabuurs.bsky.social, being acknowledged for her efforts with @onschoolsafety.bsky.social! #MakeYourNoise #GoodTrouble
photo of white middle-aged women with long light brown hair, wearing a pink mask, a light blue denim jacket, 
white blouse a dark blue pants, holding a certificate in front of a video screen with her name and volunteer recognition award notice
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Maxwell Smith, PhD @maxwellsmith.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
If health-related reasons (e.g., respiratory illness, mental health issues, disability) are even partly responsible for this rather dramatic increase in absences, making students' grades contingent on being present could very well make matters worse.
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Every child deserves safe, natural spaces to learn and play outdoors, but not all children in Canada have that. Today on #HELD2026, we’re proud to sign the @cpche.ca call for action for healthy, sustainable and climate-resilient outdoor learning and play settings. 🌿
A photo of three children playing on an outdoor wooden playground. 

HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS FOR LEARNING DAY 2026

It's time for leadership and action across sectors and jurisdictions to ensure children have access to natural, health promoting and climate resilient outdoor learning and play settings.

Join the action for healthy outdoor learning/play settings for all children.

healthyenvironmentforkids.ca/held
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Please join us in celebrating @mjnabuurs.bsky.social (or as MJ herself would say, “Make some noise!” 📣) MJ received Vaughan’s Volunteer of 2025 Award for her outstanding volunteerism with OSS! 🏆👏🎉 A huge thank you to MJ and to all OSS volunteers during #NationalVolunteerWeek
MJ is wearing a jean jacket, a white top and dark pants, as well as a pink respirator mask and glasses. She is holding a certificate for her volunteerism award, standing in front of a wood panel wall with a tv screen that has a slide which reads “Mary Jo Nabuurs | For their outstanding volunteerism with Ontario School Safety”
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
While incredible people & organizations fight to protect our planet, we must also adapt, starting with the air our children breathe every day in schools and on school buses. That’s Our Power, Our Planet, in action. 💚💛 #EarthDay2026 #OurPowerOurPlanet #OntEd #OnPoli 🔗 earthday.org
earthday.org
Earth Day: The Official Site | EARTHDAY.ORG
Visit the official Earth Day site to learn about the world's largest environmental movement and what you can do to make every day Earth Day.
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
"The study found people ages 1-26 with long-COVID experienced elevated sleep disturbance, sleep-related impairment, anxiety, depression and fatigue. Many reported scores that were more severe than national averages."
spectrumnews1.com
Study: Long-COVID shows high symptom burden in children
The study had 214 patients who had long-COVID, which was studied between March 2021 and June 2023.
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Canada Healthwatch 🍁 @canadahealthwatch.ca · 20/04/2026
Measles outbreak means my immunocompromised son can't leave the house without extreme safety measures www.statnews.com/2026/04/20/immunoc… ↷ canadahealthwatch.ca/featured 🍁
Assorted masks
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
cidrap.umn.edu
Study links long COVID in kids to worse grades, attention, and social life
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Tania J. Spencer @taniaspencer.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
12/ #GenerationA & their teachers don't have to be sick all the time - "The volunteer-led organization @onschoolsafety.bsky.social is renewing calls to the Ontario government to improve indoor air quality in schools": ottawa.citynews.ca/2025/12/21/s...
ottawa.citynews.ca
Schools have become cesspools for cold and flu, but they don't have to be: Ontario School Safety
The volunteer organization Ontario School Safety is calling on the provincial government to improve air quality in schools as flu spreads.
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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
“Long COVID (LC) in both school-age children and adolescents was negatively associated with caregiver reported school academic performance, attention, and social peer interactions
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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
www.academicpedsjnl.net/article/S187...
academicpedsjnl.net
School Difficulties and Long COVID in Children and Adolescents
Pediatric Long COVID (LC) is an infection-associated chronic condition following SARS-CoV-2 infection. While research has begun to elucidate clinical phenotypes, functional impacts are not well descri...
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Oh, chronic absenteeism after the pandemic has risen to over 60% for high school students in Ontario? That’s because IT’S NOT AFTER THE PANDEMIC Kids are missing school because they are sick, and this is happening on a global scale. @globalnews.ca apple.news/A59EHd4IQS-O...
apple.news
High school attendance drops to 40% in Ontario as government considers changes — Global News
The Ford government is currently considering giving students in grades 9 to 12 credit on their final marks if they attend class as part of new legislation.
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Absences have increased on a global scale, with illness the most common cause. Politicians have responded to decreased performance & ‘absenteeism’ by calling for attendance policies, based on the assumption that morality & discipline are at fault. Same old bias w/ no evidentiary basis. 🧵
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Mark Ungrin @mark-ungrin.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Any push to increase school attendance has to deal with the fact that schools are where sickness spreads - and it doesn't stay there. Forcing sick kids to go anyway will make that even worse. If they're serious, start by cleaning the air. Attendance and learning will improve as kids get healthier.
policyoptions.irpp.org
The next leap forward: Clean air for Canadians
“Weak productivity is making life less affordable for Canadians and beginning to strain our government’s finances and starting to put at risk the social programs on which Canadians rely,” Prime Minist...
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MJ Nabuurs @mjnabuurs.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Reppin’ @onschoolsafety.bsky.social today in solidarity with our local Education Workers! #MakeYourNoise #FundPublicEducation #CleanTheAir cupe1091.ca/2026/04/03/c... @osbcupresident.bsky.social @cupescfp.bsky.social
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
“A new study from a large American national research project called RECOVER suggests that children and adolescents who were reinfected with the virus during the Omicron era faced a higher risk of developing Long COVID.”
johnsnowproject.org
Reducing the Risk of Long COVID in Kids: Why Reinfection Matters and What We Can Do
Children who get COVID-19 again are more likely to experience long-term issues.
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
"'Immunity debt' doesn’t exist, but immune damage does. Children are sicker now than pre-pandemic – many with disabling chronic illnesses. This cycle of harm can only stop when we accept reality – there’s no off ramp without cleaning classroom air."
archive.today
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
"The bill states that school districts should ensure all active classrooms are equipped with air quality monitors. ... also require the State Board of Education to work with the Department of Public Health to create a document explaining the values of good indoor air quality for school districts."
wandtv.com
Illinois bill could require air quality monitors in classrooms
A plan moving in the Capitol could help improve the indoor air quality for Illinois schools.
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Ontario School Safety @onschoolsafety.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
“People who are especially sensitive to air pollution, including the elderly, children with asthma and those with health conditions, could face a daily coin flip, with nearly even odds of an alert every day asking them to change their behaviour to reduce exposure.”
uwaterloo.ca
Climate change could make unhealthy air a routine reality by 2100 | Waterloo News
New modelling shows almost one in three Americans will routinely breathe air considered unhealthy for sensitive people by the year 2100 due to climate change, a sevenfold increase compared to the turn...
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