Local school boards taking different approaches on COVID-19 notifications to families
As in-person classes resume this week, Waterloo Region’s largest publicly funded school boards appear to be taking different approaches when it comes to COVID-19 exposures at their schools.
WRDSB TO NOTIFY IMPACTED CLASSES
In a notice sent to parents Monday night, the Waterloo Region District School Board said it will continue to inform impacted classes “when schools become aware of a positive PCR or Rapid Antigen Test result for COVID-19.”
“We want to assure you that we will do our best to continue to provide as much information and transparency as possible when it comes to COVID-19 at WRDSB schools,” the notice read. “Our highest priority is to ensure the safety of our students and staff members.”
The WRDSB notice further said “while individual classes will continue to be notified of a possible exposure to COVID-19, the 'Confirmed Cases of COVID-19' page on the WRDSB website will no longer be updated.”
WCDSB NOT NOTIFYING FAMILIES
The head of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board said in an email to CTV News “we will not be notifying families of potential exposures.”
“WCDSB is following the direction of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and Waterloo Region Public Health, and the practice of the majority of boards across the province,” said Loretta Notten, Director of Education for the WCDSB.
Notten noted the guidance is for staff and students to closely monitor for symptoms, and that local public health is no longer following up on individual cases
Notten also pointed out that principals will be busy dealing with staffing challenges and at many schools have a single administrator so “it is too much to place on an administrator to have to carry out their own significant duties at this busy time, and also expect them to act as Public Health.”
PROVINCIAL GUIDANCE
This comes after the Ministry of Education announced earlier this month that the province will no longer report COVID-19 cases in schools.
New guidance from the province states that schools will not be routinely notifying students in classes with a positive case due to “to widespread transmission and inability to test all symptomatic individuals.
The province also said parents will only be notified of a potential COVID-19 outbreak when approximately 30 per cent of staff and student are absent from their school.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Ontario urges mpox testing amid spike in cases
Ontario health officials are urging public health units to test for mpox, the viral disease formerly known as monkeypox, amid a spike of confirmed cases in the province.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
'Don't expect any deals:' Expert says stores may not offer steep discounts on post-Easter chocolate
Those looking to snap up cheap treats at their local grocery store next week following the Easter long weekend could be in for a bit of a surprise as the rising cost of cocoa continues to drive up the price of chocolate, one expert says.