The Sea to Sky school district (SD48) is alerting parents and students of a Whistler elementary school after a member of its school community recently tested positive for the coronavirus.
In a letter sent to Spring Creek Community School families on Tuesday, Jan. 12, SD48 superintendent of schools Lisa McCullough said the district is supporting Vancouver Coastal Health's (VCH) contact tracing efforts "to determine if any other members of our school community were in contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19."
According to the letter, VCH will determine if anyone in the Spring Creek community was in contact with this individual while they may have been infectious, as well as whether anyone may be considered a close contact, and thus required to self-isolate.
"Only the health authority can determine who is a close contact," the letter reads. Those contacted by VCH are asked to follow the health authority's advice, while families who have not been contacted by VCH are not at risk of developing COVID-19 as a result of this positive case.
Another notice went out to Spring Creek parents from principal Stuart Bent regarding exposure on the Yellow Bus on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoon last week (Jan. 6 to 8).
SD48 communications officer Jennifer Morris confirmed in an email to Pique that the notice was in reference to the same case.
"The two separate notices are referring to the same exposure and were sent out of an abundance of caution," she wrote.
École La Passerelle, located on the Spring Creek Elementary School campus in Whistler, was previously flagged for a potential COVID-19 exposure event in September.
"The safety and well-being of our students, families and staff remains our highest priority," wrote McCullough in Tuesday's letter. "Please be reassured that our schools will continue to implement the strict protocols and procedures we have in place so that children can continue to attend school as safely as possible."
-with files from Dan Falloon
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