By Jenn Watt

Although the province is working to redeploy education sector workers in other fields during the coronavirus pandemic Trillium Lakelands District School Board staff have already been assigned work and are not at this time being asked to consider going elsewhere.

The voluntary redeployment would temporarily see custodial workers social workers educational assistants food preparation workers and children and youth service workers helping in long-term care facilities retirement homes hospitals women’s shelters and homes for those with developmental disabilities.

At TLDSB all permanent staff are either working from home or in the schools said communications manager Catherine Shedden.

“Our custodians have been assisting at schools on some days for the past couple of weeks when we’ve had select staff going to the school to prepare items and starting next week custodians will be coming in regularly to do cleaning and regular upkeep of the buildings as well as consistent sanitizing when and where needed” she said. “Maintenance staff are working on the delivery of paper materials to homes where there is not internet access.”

Other education workers including teachers secretaries EAs and other professional staff are working to support the TLDSB’s Learning@Home at-home instruction.

However if area health-care institutions did express a need for additional workers Shedden said that it would be taken into consideration by TLDSB.