Schools remain open, but boards ready if that changes
By JEREMY APPEL on March 14, 2020.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel The three local school boards continue to implement measures to protect against the spread of COVID-19, but classes will remain in session absent an order from the government to the contrary. Ontario and Manitoba have both suspended K-12 classes – the former for two weeks and the latter for three. Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education superintendent Dwayne Zarichny sent a letter out to parents Friday morning in response to Thursday afternoon’s press conference, where the medical officer of health said all gatherings of more than 250 people are to be cancelled. Activities involving students and staff at MHCBE schools will continue as planned, provided they’re done by individual classes, Zarichny said. However, all trips outside the jurisdiction, province and country are cancelled. Parent-teacher interviews, sporting events and performances are indefinitely postponed, and schools cannot hold assemblies until further notice. According to an update from Medicine Hat Public School Division superintendent Mark Davidson, the World Health Organization has advised against closing down schools. However, MHPSD administration is “actively planning” in case the ministry of health asks them to cancel classes. They will also be hearing best-practice advice in a conference call with the ministry today. “This is a rapidly changing situation and we appreciate the patience and trust of our school communities as we navigate this pandemic,” said Davidson. Prairie Rose School Division also outlined changes it was making to standard operating procedures in a Friday letter to parents from superintendent Roger Clarke. Schools will now use industrial-strength cleaners on all touch surface areas, including pencil sharpeners, door handles, bathroom sinks, stalls and flush handles, keyboards, countertops, locker handles, soap dispensers and other surfaces, while bus drivers have been encouraged to increase cleaning practices on their vehicles. Starting Monday, all water fountains will be closed off. Students are encouraged to bring their own water bottles to school, which they will be able to fill at designated dispensing stations. All field trips, sporting events and school council meetings are cancelled or postponed, as well as community access to PRSD schools. Parent-teacher meetings will now occur over the phone. As the Cypress Courier first reported, PRSD has cancelled a trip to Greece for Eagle Butte High School students. PRSD students who are returning from trips abroad will have to self-isolate for two weeks before returning to school. As of press time, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Medicine Hat. 18-17
