Ottawa parents want more information on school absence rates
As students enter their second week back to in-person learning, parents say they want more information on the absentee rate in schools released by the province.
“Schools still feel daunting, regardless of what the data shows. I predict we will see a high rate of absenteeism for a host of reasons,” says mom Michelle Coates Mather.
Coates Mather has two school-aged children, and she says she will look at the data released by the province. But it doesn’t give her a complete picture of how much COVID-19 is in schools.
She says she is expecting to see high percentages of absenteeism in her kids’ schools for a while.
“I don’t know if (the absentee data) gives me assurance, all it does is demonstrate, as much as we want to be out of this thing, we aren’t just yet. But I am hopeful that the data that they focus on is severity of illness because that as a parent, is what matters to me most.”
She says her kids are happy to be back to in-person learning after an extended Christmas break had students across the province shift to virtual learning due to rising COVID-19 cases.
She says she will be keeping her kids home if they are showing any mild symptoms.
“We have been monitoring for symptoms since the onset, we have lost track of how many days of school our kids have missed because they had mild symptoms, or had to get tested and so on, that has been our reality.”
Coates Mather say it is up to parents to continue to do the self-assessment every day.
“It isn’t just about my kids, but for other people. I think the symptom check is very important, because (the variant) is so transmissible.”
Grandmother Ginette Soucy she says it was a difficult decision to send her granddaughter back to in person learning because there is no contact tracing of COVID-19 cases.
“It was a very hard decision, because, we have no idea how many cases are in schools, and they are not tracing anything,” says Soucy.
Soucy says because the provincial data doesn’t break down which absences are COVID-19 related, it is not helpful. “Cases need to be reported,” she says. “(The data) will not ease our scares because if you have a dentist appointment, you are counted as absent…It is a waste of time.”
Isabella Peleggi decided to keep her daughter home for a few weeks. She says not knowing how many COVID-19 cases are in schools is worrisome. She says, “We can’t send our kids into the classroom where there may be covid but we don’t know about it- it isn’t safe.”
Peleggi will re-assess later this week about sending her daughter back.
“My husband and I decided, let’s keep her home, for a week or two, and see what the situation is like and decide week by week what we are going to do.”
Parents will be notified when absentee rate reaches the 30% threshold. Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore says.
“We will work together with our local public health agencies and our school boards to monitor that absentee rate and the rates suddenly rises 30 percent above their baseline we will have communication which may include closure, it may include further augmentation of the safety protocols within the schools to further keep them as open as they can be,” he said on Monday.
“That is our goal – keep our students learning and to catch up on their mental, physical, social and educational needs.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have told the court the accused unlawfully caused the death of four women, but argue he is not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Holocaust researchers use AI to search for unnamed victims
Researchers in Israel are turning to artificial intelligence to comb through piles of records to try to identify hundreds of thousands of Jewish people killed in the Holocaust whose names are missing from official memorials.
Russia warns Britain and plans nuclear drills over the West's possible deepening role in Ukraine
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.