Five students at Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS) and one student at Barrhead Elementary School (BES) have tested positive for COVID-19, according to an update posted to the Pembina Hills School Division website late Friday afternoon.
The update suggests that school administration was informed of the cases when parents who learned their children had tested positive reached out to staff, for which the division is grateful.
It then states that families of students identified as ‘close contacts’ have been notified of the need to isolate. School staff will offer online delivery of curriculum while the identified students and families are required to isolate themselves.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that COVID-19 has popped up at local schools — back in October, an active case of the virus was identified at BCHS, forcing a number of students and staff to go into isolation.
Other cases have also been identified at Westlock Elementary School, R.F. Staples Secondary School and Eleanor Hall School in Clyde.
“We are fortunate to have had minimal cases in Barrhead and other division schools during this school year,” the update states.
“The current situation is a reminder of the need to maintain our diligence with all of the guidance offered by the province. The impact of even a single case among staff or students can quickly interrupt (the) lives of others.”
It states that Pembina Hills is confident in the capacity of school staff to maintain continuity of learning through this disruption, and that the structures and protocols that have been put in place within each school will limit the spread of infection.
As of March 18 at 4 p.m., there were a total of 297 schools throughout Alberta that were either on alert or have outbreaks. A total of 212 were on alert while 85 had outbreaks.
According to information provided to Pembina Hills by health officials, AHS places a school on Alert status if a single student, staff or visitor is identified as having COVID-19 while present at the school and infectious.
AHS then initiates an investigation once there are two or more confirmed cases in a school setting within a 14-day period. An investigation also begins if there were two confirmed cases present at the school while infectious and/or were infected at the school.
A school will remain at Alert status if there are two to four cases identified during the course of an investigation, but an outbreak will be declared if there are five to nine cases identified during the investigation.
Neither BCHS or BES were listed as being on alert or having outbreaks on the provincial map listing COVID-19 cases in schools as of Friday afternoon, though the map hadn't been updated since the day before.
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