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
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.