GLENDON - Glendon School has reported a respiratory illness outbreak at its K-12 school.
This week, the school released information to the public, detailing the outbreak, and informing parents that several events would be cancelled.
Lakeland This Week reached out to Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS) regarding the outbreak on Nov. 22. According to Nicole Garner, communications and public relations manager with NLPS, the school division follows the guidelines provided by Alberta Health Services (AHS) for reporting illnesses to Public Health, "and they decide whether further action is required."
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a guide was already in place regarding responding to illness in schools. The most current version of the guide was updated in September of 2023.
"This was in place before the pandemic and it was not unusual to have one or two instances in schools throughout the year for a variety of illnesses - Norovirus and hand-foot-and-mouth are two examples," explains Garner.
The criteria for reporting to AHS varies in the guide, but generally the guideline is when student absences are greater than 10 per cent or there is an unusual amount of students with the same symptoms, the school then reports the information.
"After we report, AHS determines if there is an outbreak and what steps need to be taken in response, which varies depending on the type of illness," says Garner. "When there is an outbreak, AHS provides us with a letter to send out to parents/guardians of students at the school. We are then required to provide updates to AHS and they determine when the outbreak can be lifted."
According to the guide, AHS recommends that "When an outbreak is declared, the school will enhance cleaning and disinfection," along with other recommendations, such as the cancellation of gatherings.
Due to the outbreak and the recommendation to eliminate social gatherings, parent/teacher interviews scheduled for Thursday evening were moved to phone interviews only, according to information from the school. A book fair and family was cancelled as a result of the illness, although students could still attend the book fair during the day.
A parent/school council meeting scheduled for earlier this was also postponed, and basketball practices and games were cancelled for the week, according to information from the school.
"Please be reminded that students who are ill with respiratory symptoms should stay home from school until their symptoms have improved, they have not had a fever for 24 hours without using a fever-reducing medication, and they feel well enough to resume normal activities," reads the notice from Glendon School.
