Masks Now Mandatory On School Buses For All Students

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Elementary students in Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3 will now have to wear a face mask when they ride the bus to school.

This change comes after the Board Directors of the Windsor-Essex Student Transportation Services recently approved a motion to establish a new protocol mandating that all students, regardless of what grade they are in.

The motion says the new protocol goes into effect immediately, but includes a transition period until full enforcement on January 1st, 2021.

“We understand that it may take some time for students and their families to implement the new requirement,” said Gabrielle McMillan, General Manager of WESTS. “Communication through our website and the boards’ social media platforms will inform students and their
families of the new protocol. Beginning in the new year, children will not be able to board the bus unless they are wearing a face mask. However, we know that many of these students are already wearing masks and expect that they will begin complying with the new protocol sooner rather than later.”

The rule change was initiated by the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board which approved a motion on September 29th asking WESTS to change its protocols to mandate that all students would be required to wear a mask. The Greater Essex County School Board approved a similar motion on November 17. Conseil scolaire Viamonde had already required all students to wear masks when riding school buses.