Fed up parents call for boycott of online classes as province shifts to virtual learning to fight COVID-19

There's growing evidence that parents are getting fed up with online learning in Ontario, with some calling for boycotts and "parent strikes" as the province shifts to virtual classes for the third straight school year.

Whether they're trying to send the Doug Ford government a message, or just trying to preserve household sanity, a number of parents are telling CBC Toronto that when virtual bells ring on Wednesday their children won't be in front of the screen.

"We're just not going to participate in a mandate that makes no sense to us anymore," Angie Tingas, a mother of four from Toronto, said in an interview. She was reacting to the announcement by Premier Doug Ford Monday that the province was moving classes online for at least two weeks as part of the province's effort to slow the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

While Ontario has relied on remote learning more than other jurisdictions, those calling for a boycott say the situation is different this time. 

They have faith in vaccines, with more than 85 per cent of eligible Ontarians fully vaccinated and more school-aged children joining that group every day. But they also note that the harm school closures cause to children is being increasingly studied, documented, and witnessed first hand in many households.

Last year didn't go well for Tingas and her children and she informed their schools earlier this week they would not be logging on for virtual class.

"I feel like this is the only outlet parents have to tell the government we're not okay with this shutdown," Tingas said.

Melisa Mariutti, a mother of two from Hamilton, will be keeping her kids out of remote learning and she's trying to persuade others to do the same by creating and sharing online posters calling for a "parent strike."

"It's an opportunity for online learning not to happen during these two weeks in order to show the government we are serious. It's hurting us. It cannot happen again," Mariutti said.

"We've told our son he doesn't have to do it," said Laura Jamieson, a mother of two in Orangeville. "It's his choice."

Jamieson says remote learning was a struggle last year not only for her 10-year-old but the entire family.

"Every five minutes I was yelling: 'Get online, you're supposed to be online!' We were at each other's throats. Everybody was constantly yelling at each other," Jamieson said.

Parents, especially those with younger kids, say it can be difficult to facilitate learning outside of the classroom structure, without the authority of an in-person teacher, and in a home full of TVs, toys, siblings and other distractions.

They say an easy-going approach allows kids to drift away from the screen after attendance, while being too heavy-handed leads to conflict and stress on the child, parents, and others in the home.