CHAT News File Photo

By Teagan Rasche

AHS not tracing or tracking positive cases

School divisions managing COVID-19 cases after being back in session for a month

Sep 29, 2021 | 4:14 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – As Alberta Health Services is no longer doing contact tracing in classrooms and has stopped notifying schools of positive cases, the Medicine Hat Public School Division has since created its own self-reported COVID-19 case reports.

“Families communicated with us that they missed being informed about whether or not there was a case associated with their class because it took from them the ability to make some decisions about how they wanted to protect their children or support their children,” superintendent Mark Davidson said. “We felt better to share what we do know, although it’s not complete, than to just have everyone be blind.”

The spreadsheets can be found on each school’s website.

Overall, Davidson says there have been no staffing problems, even as absence rates are significantly higher than in a normal school year.

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When it comes to vaccines, he reiterated school jurisdictions don’t have the authority to mandate them for children.

In the Prairie Rose Public Schools, superintendent Roger Clarke says they are dealing with more cases now than in any of the three previous waves.

However, only one class has had to move school online. Margaret Wooding School did that after three positive cases were reported.

Clarke says he’s open to having vaccine clinics in schools but doesn’t anticipate it.

“Our parents are not responding with signed parental consent forms,” Clarke said. “We have had very little uptake in that whatsoever but should parents respond favourably and give permission for their child to be vaccinated, those who are 12 years of age and over, of course, we would accommodate Alberta Health Services.”

The school divisions say if you’re sick, stay home.

Medicine Hat’s Catholic Board of Education told CHAT News today they didn’t have enough information to comment.