BONNYVILLE - Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS) are seeing a positive trend when it comes to COVID statuses at their schools.
According to Bill Driedger, associate superintendent for NLPS, a few weeks ago the school district had a "number of schools that were on alert or outbreak status."
In order to be in alert status, a school must have two to four positive cases of COVID, while five or more is considered an outbreak.
Once a school has been placed in one of these two positions, they are required to have a period of 28-days without any new cases of COVID before the status is deemed deactivated.
“I am happy to say recently I have been getting a lot of calls from Alberta Health Services (AHS) informing us that due to no new cases being at the schools within that 28-day frame, they have dropped that status, and as a result, at this point in time, I believe we only have one school that remains in alert status and that’s due to a case being in that school and that’s the only active case we have at this point in time,” expressed Driedger during the board of trustees meeting on Wednesday, June 9.
Now, he noted, staff and students are allowed back in schools "and for education to continue as best as possible during these challenging times."
“I am knocking on wood as I speak because I do realize we have a few more weeks of school left,” he added.
In addition to the drop in the number of alert or outbreak-declared facilities, Driedger informed the board that NLPS will be sending out a letter to parents and guardians on behalf of the province.
“It’s a letter that’s talking about vaccination and some of the information around vaccinations as well,” Driedger explained, adding the school board will be forwarding it out "shortly."
Meagan MacEachern, Bonnyville Nouvelle
