Corner Brook -
The apparent effect of H1N1 is hitting schools throughout the Western School District in waves.
Jeff Thompson, the district's assistant director of education, told The Western Star Monday that most of the elevated rates of absenteeism for students, teachers and staff throughout the various schools last week have decreased Monday.
In the examples used last week, Templeton Academy in Meadows was experiencing absent students at rates more than 40 per cent, but Monday that was down to 17.7 percent, while Corner Brook Regional High was recording between 30 and 33 per cent absent students last week, but down to 20 per cent Monday.
While that was noted as good news by the assistant director of education, the rise in absenteeism at institutions less impacted last week is the downside of the apparent cycle.
There has been considerable discussion throughout the community as to whether schools should be closed down altogether during the peak of this pandemic. Thompson said that is also a debate had by district staff and school administrators, with the assistance of federal and provincial agencies.
While recognizing, appreciating, and sharing the concerns of parents, he said the situation, to date, has not warranted the closing down of any schools.
"We are monitoring that everyday and in constant dialogue with our administrative teams at each site, linked in with a provincial network discussing this matter, and parents need to be assured we are making decisions with the best information and decisions we believe are in the best overall interest of the student body," Thompson said.
However, the provincial government suspended all school-based, extra-curricular activity for students in the province until Nov. 13. The policy will be revisited at that time. In conjunction with that, Thompson said the Western School District has prohibited any student travel within or outside the district for school-related activities. Those policies apply to sports and curriculum activities.
Meanwhile, the next big step for schools is to prepare for the implementation of the vaccination program. Thompson said parents should sign and return the consent forms sent home with their children and continue to monitor developments in relation to when the vaccine will be available to school-aged children.
