Staff Case of COVID-19 at East Northumberland Secondary School, Brighton
Article by Sue Dickens/Image KPR District School Board
Northumberland - The Kawartha Pine Ridge (KPR) District School Board has one reported student case of COVID-19 at Hillcrest Public School, Campbellford and one staff case at East Northumberland Secondary School, Brighton.
There is also a student case at Courtice Secondary School in Courtice.
Reported COVID-19 cases in Ontario schools and licensed child care settings are posted online and updated weekly by the provincial government.
Trent Hills Now has reached out to the school board to find out if the schools are still holding classes.
In an update and a response to our request the school board has sent Trent Hills Now the letters that were sent to parents of both Hillcrest Public School and East Northumberland Secondary School by the school principals.
The letter to parents, students and staff of Hillcrest by the principal Michele Adams stated that a student has a confirmed case of COVID-19 and stated, “That individual will remain at home until the Health Unit advises they may return to school. The identity of the individual is protected by privacy legislation and cannot be shared. A positive case at a school does not necessarily mean the individual was exposed to COVID-19 at the school. They may have been exposed somewhere else in the community.”
As well the school board is working closely with the HKPR District Health Unit to identify anyone at the school who may have been a close contact of the individual to advise them as to any next steps they must take, such as self-isolation, self-monitoring and/or testing. Those individuals will be contacted directly, everyone else can continue to attend school and work as usual.
Adams also stated,”We appreciate that this news may be concerning for our students, staff and parents. We want to assure everyone that we continue to work closely with the HKPR District Health Unit to respond to this issue, and will follow all their recommendations to help keep students and staff safe.”
It was also noted that the school is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected each day. “In addition to our daily pandemic cleaning protocols, which include increased cleaning and disinfecting of high touch surfaces, and thorough cleanings in the evenings, KPR schools are regularly disinfected on a rotating basis with an electro-static sprayer. The Clorox Total 360 System is approved for use against the virus that causes COVID-19; it kills cold and flu viruses, MRSA and norovirus in two minutes or less, kills 99.9% of bacteria in five seconds and can even sanitize soft surfaces. It has been used effectively in schools and other education settings for several years,” stated Adams.
As well it was noted that to protect themselves, their children and the community, “the Health Unit recommends that you stay home if you are sick; complete daily self-screening; continue to physically distance from others as much as possible; wear a mask when indoors, on a bus, or when you cannot maintain a two-metre distance outside; clean hands often with soap and water or hand sanitizer; cough and sneeze into your sleeve; avoid touching your face; avoiding sharing personal items with others; and avoid close contact with anyone who is ill.”
For more information regarding COVID-19 the letter references this site: https://www.hkpr.on.ca/covid-19/
“We continue to follow all the recommendations of the provincial government and our local public health agencies. If you would like further information on the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board’s COVID-19 protocols, please visit http://kprschools.ca/en/COVID-19.html”
Admas concludes, “We will continue to let families know of any further developments.”
The principal of ENSS Karin Mackenzie-Russell also wrote a letter to parents, staff and students and points out, “The person (with a possible case of COVID-19) will remain at home until the health unit advises they may return to school the identity of the individual is protected by privacy legislation and will not be shared.”
Providing similar information to that given to Hillcrest parents, Mackenzie-Russell also stated in her letter: “Through the HKPR Health Unit’s investigation, it was determined that since students and staff were wearing the appropriate PPE, there is a low risk of school exposure. This means that no students and staff need to isolate or go for testing, and everyone can continue to attend school and work as usual. As always, everyone should continue to perform daily self-assessments and self-monitor for symptoms.”
Information will be updated as provided. The KPR District School Board numbers are shown below.
The total in terms of the Ontario schools overall are as follows:
For the list of schools in Ontario with COVID-19 cases go to: https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-cases-schools-and-child-care-centres#section-0
