There have been over 50 incidents of COVID-19 in the Prairie Spirit School Division (PSSD) since last September.
But, each one of those incidents has been contained and not allowed to spread.
Keeping students, staff and families safe while providing both in-class and online education is no small task, considering the school division has an enrollment of almost 11,000 students in 47 schools, including nine Hutterite colonies.
“I appreciate how our school teams work together to inform the class and school community when a case is identified in a school and then adjust plans accordingly,” said PSSD Director of Education Lori Jeschke. “There have been over 50 incidents of COVID-19 in Prairie Spirit schools since the start of the school year. We appreciate the support of parents and families when a class is directed to self-isolate and learn from home for a period of time.”
The Prairie Spirit School Division and the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools (GSCS) school division have done their best in following the recommendations and guidelines from Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and the provincial government.
The safety precautions include mandatory masks, physical distancing, practising hand hygiene, and minimizing contacts by restricting students to their class cohorts throughout the day.
When a positive COVID-19 case is identified in a school, the SHA notifies the school division. The school then sends the class a letter from the SHA indicating the length of self-isolation required for all students in the class. The school sends a letter to inform the school community, and the SHA engages in contact tracing for school staff. The school is then thoroughly cleaned before students return to class.
“In Prairie Spirit, our highest priority is the health and safety of our students and staff,” said Jeschke. “We are so proud of the good work being done by our schools to keep students and staff safe. Our students and staff are wearing masks and following other layers of protection and demonstrating their resilience.”
Not everyone, though, agrees with those safety precautions, particularly the use of mandatory masks. Stella Chipesia has been protesting recently in front of the PSSD office in Warman for about one to two hours each morning during the work week.
She doesn’t think it’s right for the government to mandate people to wear masks because she believes it violates people’s rights as Canadian citizens.
“I started protesting at the end of September at the school (in Osler) until just before Christmas. And I just started protesting out here,” said Chipesia, adding she believes people should have a choice whether or not to wear mask.
Anti-mask protests fuelled by misinformation, much of it originating through online social media sites, have occurred in other centres across the province.
But, with the majority of people following public health guidelines, COVID-19 numbers appear to be declining. The ongoing vaccination program is also helping to protect those most vulnerable to the disease.
The Saskatchewan Safe Schools Plan developed by the Ministry of Education was put in place so students can still attend school. But, it wouldn’t work without the cooperation of everyone involved.
“As the Director of Education, I want to acknowledge our school leaders and staff who have developed strong protocols and processes designed to help protect students and staff,” said Jeschke.
Dr. Shahab continues to recognize the good work being done in schools to keep students and staff safe. He has commended schools and school divisions for continuing to follow the safety protocols, including mask wearing by all staff and students, along with a variety of other layers of protection.