Niagara Falls Review e-edition

COVID arrives early in schools

Fourteen positive cases among students and staff since classes started

GORD HOWARD

Ontario public health and education officials knew when schools reopened Sept. 7, COVID-19 would inevitably show up in the classroom.

Just more than one week in, 14 Niagara students or staff have tested positive for COVID-19 and part or all of 14 classes are isolating at home after possible exposure.

That includes three cases at Oakridge Public School in St. Catharines, where five elementary classes, or cohorts, are also isolating.

“I didn’t know what to expect” at the start of the school year, said Camillo Cipriano, Niagara Catholic District School Board education director.

“I can tell you this: We’ve had more cases this year than we had at this point last year. At this point last year, I don’t think we had our first case yet in our schools” until the end of the second week.

Those 14 Niagara cases come from about 60,000 students, several thousand teachers and staff, and about 160 schools in the Catholic and District School Board of Niagara systems.

While cases have shown up earlier this year, Cipriano said he feels “100 per cent” better prepared for COVID-19.

“I feel more comfortable with our response, and even the safety of our schools. Our schools have never been cleaner, safer, more organized.”

Kelly Pisek, superintendent of

schools for DSBN, said she’s also confident schools are prepared to limit the spread of COVID-19 and control it when cases appear.

“We were expecting this. I think everyone across the province was told to expect there would be an increase in cases when we bring our kids back into one setting.”

As of Wednesday, positive cases were reported at 11 elementary schools.

For the public board: Jacob Beam in Beamsville and Prince of Wales in Thorold, each report one case, one class closed; Oakridge in St. Catharines, three cases, five classes closed; and Ontario school in Thorold, two cases, one class closed.

For the Catholic board: St. Denis in St. Catharines has one case; and St. Theresa and Our Lady of Fatima in St. Catharines, St. Charles in Thorold, St. John Bosco in Port Colborne, St. John in Lincoln and St. Andrew in Welland all report one case, one class closed.

At the nearly 5,000 schools across Ontario, 486 staff or students have tested positive so far.

Students spent the final few months of the past year learning remotely from home. They returned to classes last week with Ontario in the fourth wave of COVID and local cases rising.

Under mandates from the provincial government, schools are enforcing social distancing, air circulation has been improved, and masks are mandated for grades 1 through 12 (though parents can fill out a form requesting exemption).

Visitor access to schools is limited, enhanced cleaning is in place and parents are required to go online and screen their child each day for cold or COVID-like symptoms.

“I think that message is really important to reinforce to parents, that this is something critical to making sure we keep our schools safe,” said Niagara acting medical officer of health Dr. Mustafa Hirji.

He said businesses that enforce employee screening are most likely to avoid outbreaks; the same applies to schools.

Elementary schools are a particular concern, Hirji said, because most students from Grade 7 down are too young to be eligible for vaccination.

Teachers and staff, including regular visitors such as roving staff and bus drivers, must either be vaccinated or undergo a vaccine-education program and twice-weekly testing, according to provincial rules.

Pisek said so far, DSBN staff have an 87 per cent vaccination rate; Cipriano said that number is still being compiled at the Catholic board.

Both said they are seeing about a 70 per cent compliance rate from parents completing daily screening. It’s early, and they said they want to see that rate rise.

“I don’t think that’s good enough,” said Hirji, of the 70 per cent rate. “I think we need to have 100 per cent of families making sure that the symptom screen is done every single day.

“That is something done easily and quickly that makes a real difference in keeping workplaces or schools safe.”

Both board websites contain links listing the status of all their schools — NiagaraCatholic.ca/covid-19advisories and DSBN.org/covid-19information.

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2021-09-16T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-16T07:00:00.0000000Z

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