A member of the Signal Hill Elementary school community tested positive for the novel coronavirus more than two weeks ago, according to a letter from School District 48 that was sent to parents this weekend.
In a Dec. 27 letter, Sea to Sky School District superintendent Lisa McCullough wrote that the individual tested positive on Dec. 10, and district staff is supporting Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) to undertake contact tracing to determine if any other members of the school community were in contact with the infected person, and if any additional steps are required.
“The safety and well-being of our students, families, and staff remains our highest priority,” the letter continued. “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.”
The letter prompted questions in the school community about why it took more than two weeks for families to be notified. Asked for clarity, a VCH spokesperson confirmed that the district wasn’t notified of the case until Dec. 27, when the letter went out, because contact tracing identified that “the infectious period may have extended back to include the final day that the individual had attended school.”
While VCH considers the risk of transmission to be low, the notification was issued “to identify any further households that may currently be impacted by the identified school exposure date.”
It’s the responsibility of VCH to inform any potential close contacts, and McCullough noted that, “If you have not been contacted by VCH, it has been determined that your child is not at risk of developing COVID-19.”
The superintendent also reminded families to continue daily health checks and monitor their child for illness.
According to a district poll that closed Dec. 4, 86 per cent of parents either agree or strongly agree that their children are safe attending school in the Sea to Sky, while nine per cent either disagree or strongly disagree.
“That shows that our staff, our families and our students are working really hard to follow the safety plans and do everything that [B.C. provincial health officer] Dr. Bonnie Henry has asked us to do, and it’s working," said Phillip Clarke, director of instruction for the district.
This story has been updated since publication.
