Superintendent Pamela Guilbault and Deputy Superintendent Chantel Axani provided the board and those in attendance a COVID update.
Because Alberta Health Services is no longer informing school jurisdictions of confirmed COVID cases Lakeland Catholic is now relying on parent/guardian or staff members to report any positive cases.
The voluntary information is visible on each school’s website.
In addition to sharing active COVID-19 information, Axani outlined current staff absences.
After meeting with principals, staff, and neighboring school jurisdictions the Minister of Education, and AHS officials, Lakeland Catholic amended their COVID protocols ahead of students returning to school on January 10.
A part of the process was aligning the division’s guidelines with other school divisions. This includes the choice for Lakeland Catholic not to allow inter-school athletics.
Students will be able to practice their sports but will not be competing. Guilbaul says the goal is to get all local school divisions to resume at the same time.
The province’s protocol adjustments gave divisions the ability to shift a class or grade to online learning if it is needed due to a lack of teaching staff or student assistant staff but LCSD has not needed to use this authority.
Students attending Lakeland Catholic schools have now received their first shipment of medical-grade masks and rapid tests with more on the way.
Every school has been outfitted with MERV-13 air filters and the filtration systems are being closely monitored by LCSD’s Operations and Facilities Manager.
Students in grades four and up are being asked to wear their masks as much as possible. Rapid tests are available for staff members if teachers feel the need to take one.
Mask breaks are allowed throughout the day with teachers giving the breaks when needed.
These protocols are added to the already-existing ones that plan to keep the students and staff safe.