Vancouver Island school reopening after 5 kids, 3 staff members head to clinic for health concerns
An elementary school in Gold River, B.C., will reopen Thursday after it suddenly shut down Tuesday due to health concerns.
On Tuesday morning, students were dismissed from Ray Watkins Elementary School after some staff and students experienced itchiness, runny eyes and hives.
The school says it closed Tuesday and Wednesday out of an abundance of caution as per advice from Island Health.
"Around 11:30 a.m. [Tuesday], we got a call from the school that they were evacuating the school and shutting down for the remainder of the day," said Francesca Lot, president of the Ray Watkins Elementary School Parent Advisory Council, on Wednesday.
She says she heard some of the older students at the school were having "reaction"-type symptoms, like hives and rashes on their arm.
When the school closed Tuesday, School District 84 recommended that families shower and bathe their kids and change into clean clothes after they returned from school.
Anyone who still had health concerns after cleaning and showering was told to head to the Gold River Health Clinic, the only health centre nearby, after they had bathed and put on fresh clothes.
School District 84 superintendent Lawrence Tarasoff says five students and three staff members attended the clinic Tuesday.
At least five other kids have reported having symptoms, Tarasoff told CTV News on Wednesday.
Late Wednesday evening, Ray Watkins Elementary said it planned to reopen Thursday.
"Island Health has given us the go ahead to reopen the school and have stated that there is no significant health risk to the students and staff of the school," reads an update on the school website.
The school adds that each classroom has been thoroughly cleaned and ventilated and that an environmental assessment occurred Wednesday.
Tarasoff says the school is still waiting for the results of that assessment.
"From what I've heard, nothing has escalated," Lot told CTV News. "People have been able to treat things on their own at home."
The PAC president described the situation as "shocking" and said nothing similar had occurred in the years she's been involved with the school.
Lot, a paramedic by trade, says things have mostly calmed down in the community since the symptoms have so far not been serious.
She adds that it seems like the school is "going down the right pathways" to determine what the source of the illness was.
"We thank you for your support and understanding as we took the time to ensure a safe environment for our students and staff," reads the school website.
A little more than 100 students attend Ray Watkins Elementary School.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.