Oct. 18, 2021
Dear families,
On Oct. 14, the Alberta government updated its guidance for schools regarding how school communities will be notified of positive COVID-19 cases. AHS has also updated its parent guide, which provides clear information about the updated process.
The CBE has updated its process to align with this new guidance.
Notification of a Positive COVID-19 Case in Your School Community
On Monday, Oct. 18, all CBE schools will transition to a new way of notifying families that their child may have been exposed to COVID-19. To date, we have been notifying school communities about cases that have been self-reported by families. Going forward, we will rely on Alberta Health Services (AHS) notification of confirmed COVID-19 cases that were infectious while at school.
As such, schools will no longer record positive cases that families or staff report to the school. We do ask that you continue to call the school if your child is going to be absent for any reason.
If AHS informs the CBE that your child was exposed to an infectious case at school, you will receive an email from your school notifying you of possible exposure.
All positive case notifications across our system will also be reported on the CBE website.
Transitioning to Online Learning
K-6 Classes
When three or more positive cases are reported to have attended school while infectious within the same K-6 class in a five-day calendar period, the impacted class will be moved to online learning for 10 calendar days.
If your child’s class is in this situation, you will receive a letter from the school notifying you of the transition to online learning, as well as a letter from AHS with further instructions.
Grades 7 – 12 Classes
Transitions to online learning due to positive cases within the school population are not expected for Grades 7 - 12 at this time.
Outbreak Notifications
AHS will determine if a school reaches outbreak status (10 or more confirmed cases within a 14 day period that were infectious while at school). If an outbreak is reported, the school will share a letter from AHS that will be sent through SchoolMessenger.
A list of schools that have notified their communities of outbreak status will be shared on the CBE website, or you can refer to the government’s school status site.
At-Home Rapid Testing
Starting in late October, the government is implementing a targeted at-home rapid testing program for staff and students in K-6 classes that meet a specific threshold of cases within a specific time window.
If your school or child’s class is eligible for this program, your school will share information with you directly.
At-home rapid testing is voluntary and more information will be shared once it is available.
Please continue to complete the Daily Health Questionnaire every day before sending your child to school and keep them home from school if they are sick. If you are eligible, we strongly encourage you to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
More information is available on our website about the CBE’s COVID-19 Guidelines and Health Measures.
Thank you for your continued commitment to health and safety in our schools,
Christopher Usih
Chief Superintendent of Schools
