Some Ontario school boards call on government to report and track COVID-19 once again
CBC
School boards in Ontario are calling on the provincial government to reinstate COVID-19 reporting and tracking when schools reopen next week, with some saying they will release available data to families.
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board of Trustees sent a letter to Education Minister Stephen Lecce on Wednesday expressing "grave concern, disappointment, and frustration" over recent changes to how COVID-19 will be managed in schools.
The board said it was especially disappointed with the discontinuation of COVID-19 reporting as well as the dismissal of students and staff when a positive case has been identified in a classroom or cohort.
The board called on the province to reconstitute the COVID-19 reporting system that was in place before the winter break. It also said the province should provide better quality masks to students and an "adequate number" of rapid test kits to all students and staff.
"The mental health and well-being of staff and students has been and continues to be a significant challenge as we continue to navigate the pandemic," the letter said.
"Ensuring measures are in place to support a safe return to in-person learning mitigates the apprehension and anxiety resulting from the recent change to practice."
The Limestone District School Board said in a statement Wednesday evening that it would be sending a letter to the provincial government and Ontario's chief medical officer of health requesting tracking and reporting of COVID-19 in schools by public health units.
The board also called for continued funding of rapid antigen tests for all students and staff and "transparent and timely" communication to families and staff regarding changes to in-person and remote learning.
When asked Wednesday why the government is no longer reporting COVID-19 data in schools, Ontario's top doctor said the province modified its protocols in its "pivot from Delta to Omicron."
Dr. Kieran Moore said the province will continue to report certain COVID-19 data, such as virus-related admissions to hospitals for children between the ages of five to 11 and 12 to 17.
"We've always had to have a risk-based and balance-based approach to this pandemic, and I think we're hitting the right mark with Omicron and we will be transparent with all of those metrics," he said.
The province has touted shipments of masks, updated ventilation systems and the eventual roll out of rapid tests to students and staff member as parts of its return to in-person learning plan.
Moore added that the two rapid antigen tests that will be provided to students will "empower" parents, by letting them know if their child has the virus and whether they should isolate at home.
Some school boards have decided to take matters into their own hands when schools reopen next week, in the absence of regular COVID-19 reporting from the province.
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