Commentary Ontario school trustees have been engaged in heated debates in the last few weeks. Some boards have even called extra meetings to address the matter. One might think that trustees were responding to the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s recent “Right to Read” report, which was a devastating critique of the ineffective reading strategies currently being used in Ontario schools. After all, teaching students how to read is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of our education system. Unfortunately, improving reading instruction wasn’t the focus of these extra meetings. Instead, trustees across the province are far more concerned about the loosening of public health restrictions. Specifically, many of them oppose the province’s decision to end the mask mandate in schools. During a special meeting, Hamilton-Wentworth District School trustees voted to defy the province and keep its mandatory mask rule in place until at least April 15. Meanwhile, Toronto District School …