By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
CALEDONIA—On December 16 River Heights Elementary School in Caledonia was temporarily closed on advice from the Haldimand Norfolk Health Unit (HNHU) following an outbreak of COVID, with indicators suggesting the presence of the Omicron variant within the school.
The HNHU has reported a total of four cases linked to the outbreak. All students and staff have been instructed to self-isolate for 14 days as a precautionary measure. The school is anticipated to reopen to in-person learning on January 3, 2021.
In online discourse over the closure, some parents expressed confusion over why they weren’t notified right away that a positive case had been found within the school.
“I learned of this information after personally emailing one of the staff members. They explained that the exposure occurred on the 10th of December, and that if we had not been personally contacted by our child’s teacher or principal, then our child’s class wasn’t one of the exposed classrooms,” said Abram Pennman, parent of a River Heights student. “As a parent, and just a person in general, it concerns and absolutely baffles me that this information would be kept from students, parents, and potentially some staff members for almost a week.”
Dave Smouter, Manager of Communications and Community Relations for the Grand Erie District School Board (GEDSB) explained the process for schools when it comes to announcing COVID-confirmed cases: “We rely on the health units to advise us of probable and confirmed COVID cases. When we are advised by the health units of a probable/confirmed case, we immediately share information around cohorts, teachers, families, and any other close contacts with the health units.”
He continued, “The health units then use that information to distribute emails to close contacts with directions on testing and isolation if required. Concurrently, school administrators send an email to identified families of close contacts (not the whole school community) advising of the situation, and that they should receive more direction from the health unit shortly. In the event of an outbreak, we share a similar message with the school community.”
Smouter said that the Board meets weekly with local public health units to stay connected on the latest COVID-19 information: “As cases are increasing across Ontario, we continue to look to medical experts for advice and guidance. This is especially true with respect to the Omicron variant. We need to rely, and are relying, on the direction of the health units.”
Pennman feels that every parent at a school should know when a case is identified, “If we had known about this potential exposure sooner, then we could’ve taken proper procedures to limit the spread… It simply doesn’t make any sense to me why this was kept from us for so long.”
Despite his frustration over the delayed announcement, Pennman does feel that the staff at River Heights are doing a good job of managing the ongoing pandemic: “Do I think the school does everything they can to prevent and or limit the spread or COVID-19? Yes, most of the time at least. They have a great record of no COVID cases when compared to other schools, and I do have trust and confidence in the staff’s ability to maintain a safe work environment.”
With a separate outbreak happening concurrently at Oneida Central Public School in Caledonia, Smouter said that the Board is continuously monitoring for potential changes that could impact a return to school in January.
“We continue to work with our local Public Health Units and additionally look for guidance from the Ministry of Education for direction regarding learning models. We have no information about that at this time and are currently anticipating a return to in-person learning on January 3, 2022. We are ready to pivot to remote learning should that decision be made by the Province.”
Pennman said having to stay in isolation with his family won’t impact him much, but worries for how similar situations might impact other families: “I do feel for them because this is the last thing anyone wants during the holidays.”
