30% student absenteeism pushes South Island school to the brink
Many families are relieved to have their kids back at school, but after just eight days back, it's already clear that in person learning may not last at all schools across Vancouver Island.
At École John Stubbs Memorial School in the Sooke School District, absenteeism amongst students was at 30 per cent Wednesday, compared to the district’s average this week of 16 per cent, or the average of seven per cent last year.
Not all of those current absences are due to illness, but many are. The school hasn’t been ordered closed yet, but the district’s Supt. Scott Stinson says it’s planning to bring in extra custodians to keep it especially sanitized.
“We certainly are treating this very seriously,” said Stinson Wednesday. “At this point, the advice we have from public health, from the (medical health officer), is the school is not at the point where we would need to close it.”
A handful of schools across B.C. have already been temporarily closed to in-person learning due to a shortage of staff. On Wednesday, two schools in Abbotsford were closed for the week.
No such closures have happened in Vancouver Island yet, but the chair of the Sooke School District, Ravi Parmar, says he is very concerned that a shortage of custodians and bus drivers might trigger a functional closure.
“We have a couple positions that we’re very, very short on, and can’t rely on extras for — one is bus drivers and the other is custodians,” said Parmar. “I’m very nervous on the custodian and bus driver front."
Meanwhile, in Victoria, where student attendance was close to normal for the first week back, Winona Waldron, the president of the Greater Victoria Teachers' Association, worries new guidance that students and staff can return to school once their symptoms largely clear up may lead to the spread of COVID-19 cases in schools. She thinks a closure for some classes is likely in the coming weeks.
“Unless numbers, COVID numbers in the community significantly decrease, I think we're likely to see some sort of closure,” she said Wednesday.
There’s no specific threshold for when health authorities or school districts would close a school for in-person learning and shift online, but the districts say they’re pulling out all the stops to keep kids in the classroom.
“Prior to us having to do a functional closure, we would have to deploy every teacher that we have in the school district — that would include associate superintendents (and) myself,” said Stinson, who, like many, hopes the district can ride out the worst of this wave and keep students in the classroom.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Senators reject field trip to African Lion Safari amid elephant bill study
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
CFIA monitoring for avian flu in Canadian dairy cattle after U.S. discoveries
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is encouraging veterinarians to keep an eye out for signs of avian influenza in dairy cattle following recent discoveries of cases of the disease in U.S. cow herds.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
Vancouver firefighter in rehab at home after losing leg to flesh-eating infection overseas
A family trip took a frightening turn for Christopher Won when he was diagnosed with flesh-eating disease while in Hong Kong and now, after weeks of treatment overseas, the Vancouver firefighter is back home recovering.