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
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor qualifies Canada for Paralympics in rowing event
Former Humboldt Broncos goaltender and bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann has qualified Canada for a rowing event for the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.
Baby boom amongst nurses leads to maternity ward closure in Listowel, Ont.
The emergency room at Listowel’s hospital is open today, but come summer, their obstetrics unit will be temporarily closing its delivery rooms.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Quebec judge orders bus driver to stand trial for 2023 daycare crash deaths
A judge has ordered a Quebec man to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of two children killed when a bus rammed into a Montreal-area daycare last year.