Patchy approach to final exams, mark freezing amid Omicron sparks worries of grade inflation

As a student trustee for his Toronto-area school board, Bruce Yu hears loud and clear from his peers how tough school continues to be amid the pandemic.

The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has caused further disruptions to their in-class learning following winter break. But unlike earlier in the pandemic, Canadian school officials haven’t universally moved to freeze student grades or do away with final exams — even amid high numbers of student and school staff absences for illness or isolation. 

That inconsistency is causing many to worry about an unfair playing field developing, especially among those high schoolers vying for post-secondary.