NOTE: This story has been updated and can be found here.
By Don Urquhart, Times-Chronicle
Two local schools – Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary in Oliver and Osoyoos Elementary – have notified parents that the schools have crossed the threshold triggering an alert that COVID-19 activity may be on the rise.
“Based on review of attendance patterns, we have determined we have met a COVID-19 potential activity signal in our school. A potential activity signal is a threshold based on school or class attendance,” read the two identical form letters, separately signed by Osoyoos Elementary School Principal David Foster and Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary Principal P. Takacs.
“We will inform, and work with Interior Health to determine if additional actions are needed. Because people are absent for many reasons, we do not know if there is increased COVID-19 activity at our school.”
The two identical form letters from the two elementary schools.
When the strategy for schools was announced just over two weeks ago provincial health authorities said absenteeism would be tapped as a ‘canary in the coal mine’ of whether a COVID-19 outbreak was underway.
“In schools, absenteeism will be a trigger to inform the health authority and school community that an outbreak may be underway,” Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer said.
Because contact tracing was rendered useless by the much shorter incubation period of the Omicron variant, a ‘proxy’ was needed to understand what is happening with transmission in schools.
Although no hard and fast number was given, B.C.’s Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside said school administration officials, including principals, will make the call on school closures and moving to temporary online classes.
An absenteeism rate of around 10 per cent higher than normal would be a rough gauge to alert school officials, said Whiteside, noting that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic this level of absenteeism would normally trigger the involvement of public health.
But aside from student absenteeism, there is the issue of staff absences which could also result in functional closure of schools.
The letters “strongly encourage” students and families to complete a daily health check, stay home when sick and seek testing when recommended.
“Whenever a child is away from school, it is critical that parents/guardians contact the school with an update on the reason the student is away. This communication allows us to update our records accurately and assists us in communication with public health.”
