COVID-19 Updates

As many of you are aware, yesterday afternoon the government announced changes to the provincial contact tracing and COVID-19 reporting processes related to schools.

As of today, Wednesday, October 6, Alberta Health Services has changed the guidelines and definitions of Outbreaks of COVID-19. They will no longer be based on the percentage of students who are absent with respiratory symptoms. Instead, they will be based on AHS confirmed cases of COVID-19 connected to individual schools. The following definitions will be used:

• Alert  2-4 cases: 2-4 cases were present in the school while infectious within a 14 day period
• Alert 5-9 cases: 5-9 cases were present in the school while infectious within a 14 day period
• Outbreak (10+ cases): 10 or more cases are confirmed in an investigation, where the disease could have been acquired or transmitted in the school.

Alerts remain in place until no new cases are confirmed at the school for 14 days. Outbreaks remain in place until no new cases are confirmed at the school for 28 days.

Alberta Health Services has created a list of schools that are on Alert or Outbreak status that will be updated daily. To see if your child’s school is on the list, please go to COVID-19 school status. Northern Lights will also be posting school statuses at the top of the homepage of each school’s website. 

The other changes that will be implemented over the next couple of weeks include contact tracing and notification to parents/guardians of confirmed COVID cases in their child’s classroom, shifting to online learning for students in Kindergarten to Grade 6 when there are three or more cases confirmed in a classroom within five days, and the introduction of rapid testing. We have not received all of the guidelines regarding how all of these new requirements will work. Once we have received confirmation of how these new processes will be implemented in our schools, we will share that information with families and staff. 

We appreciate your patience and cooperation while we adjust to another shift in COVID protocols for our schools. As always, our goal is to provide families with the most up-to-date and accurate information that we have and we will continue to do that as we confirm the details from this latest announcement.

We have been receiving questions from parents concerned about misinformation circulating on social media that claims school boards will be mandating vaccinations for students in October. 

School boards do not have the authority to mandate vaccinations for students. There are no mandates in place requiring students to be vaccinated against any illness for which vaccines are currently available (measles, mumps, whooping cough, chicken pox, etc.) and the Board of Trustees will NOT be making any vaccinations mandatory for students. 

Any decision to mandate vaccinations in K-12 schools must come from the Alberta Government. Alberta does not have any legislation requiring students to have vaccinations in order to attend school and we have been informed that they are not considering mandating vaccines for students. Students cannot be denied access to education due to their immunization status. 

The social media posts also encourage parents to withdraw their students from school prior to September 30 to reduce funding to school divisions. While our funding used to be based on the number of students who were enrolled in our schools on September 30, that is no longer the case. Instead the province bases our funding on a three-year weighted moving average. Our funding has already been confirmed for the 2021-2022 school year and withdrawing students prior to September 30 will have no impact on the funding we receive for this year or the resources that will be available to students who remain enrolled in our system. It will, however, reduce the amount of funding we receive over the next two years, and will negatively impact all students in the system. It will also cause disruption for our students and staff at a time when they need stability and consistency.

This is a difficult time for everyone and we need to work together to ensure that our students can continue to attend school and learn in safe and caring environments despite the many challenges created by COVID. We encourage all families to reach out to their child’s school with any concerns they have so we can address those concerns and provide you with the information you need to make the best decisions for your families. 

COVID Case Reporting

As we shared in last week’s update, NLPS will be sharing information with parents and guardians when we are informed of a case of COVID-19 connected to one of our schools. This will be based on information that is disclosed to us voluntarily by individuals who test positive, as Alberta Health Services does not notify us of COVID cases that are connected to our schools.

The process for making notifications was shared with our school administrators today and comes into effect immediately. When a school is notified of a case of COVID connected to that school, a letter will be sent to all parents with information on the number of cases reported to the school and which classes, bus routes and/or extracurricular activities may have had close contact with the individual who has COVID. 

This information will also be shared on the school’s website and instructions on how to access that will be shared in the letter that is sent to parents. This is where future updates will also be posted. COVID cases will be considered “active” for seven days from when they are reported to the school and will be included on the School COVID Report for that period of time, along with lists of the classes associated with those cases.

When additional cases are reported, families will receive a message from the school via School Messenger (email and text) notifying them that additional cases have been reported and that the School COVID Report has been updated with information about the new cases.

We encourage all families and staff to share positive test results with their schools so we can keep our school communities informed and help parents and guardians make informed decisions for their families.

New Alberta Health Daily Checklist

The Government of Alberta has made changes to the Alberta Health Daily Checklists that all students, staff and visitors to schools are required to complete every day before entering a school. You can find the updated checklists here: Updated Alberta Health Daily Checklist. 

The most notable change is to the first section which asks if your child has been a household close contact of someone with COVID-19.  If the answer is yes and the child has not been fully immunized, the “Child should stay home and NOT attend school, childcare and/or other activities for 14 days from the last day of exposure and monitor for symptoms.”

Spectators at School Sporting Events

Since the provincial government announced new public health restrictions last week, we have received many questions about the impact the new restrictions will have on our schools. 

One of the areas affected by the new measures is school sporting events. We know many of our students missed being able to participate in school sports and are excited to be able to play on teams and participate in intramurals this year. The new provincial health restrictions allow for school sports to continue, but with restrictions on spectator attendance.

To ensure students can continue to participate in school sports for as long as possible, NLPS has made the difficult decision to restrict all indoor sporting events to participants only. 

Spectators are welcome to attend outdoor sporting events for our junior high and senior high students, however, spectators will not be permitted to participate in outdoor sporting events for students in Kindergarten to Grade 6. As tomorrow’s Mountain Bike competition includes students in grades 5 & 6, that event will not permit spectators.

While we know some families will be disappointed that they can’t attend games in person and cheer on their children from the sidelines, we believe the minimizing attendance at these events will reduce the risk of COVID transmission in our schools and help prevent further restrictions from needing to be put into place.

Thank you for your patience while we worked to clarify last night’s announcement with Alberta Education. We are now able to share more information with staff and parents/guardians about how the new public health restrictions will impact the operation of our schools. In addition, we have an update about the division sharing information when we are informed of a case of COVID-19 connected to one of our schools.

As we shared last night, the provincial government announced the following public health restrictions for all schools effective today (Thursday, September 16):

• Mandatory masking for students in grades 4 and up, plus staff and teachers in all grades.
• Class cohorting for elementary grades (K to 6)
• Indoor sports, fitness, recreation, and performance activities are permitted in schools, with requirements to maintain 2 metre physical distancing where possible.
• Masks and distancing are not required by youth under 18 while engaged in physical activity.
• Spectator attendance restricted to 1/3 fire code capacity and limited to households or 2 close contacts for those living alone. Attendees must be masked and distanced.

Here is some more information about what that will look like in our schools:

Masking

• Masking continues to be mandatory for everyone on a school bus.
  
  
• The motion made by the NLPS Board of Trustees mandating that all students wear masks in all indoor, non-instructional areas remains in effect for all students in Kindergarten to Grade 3 and all students enrolled in our preschool programs. Students are encouraged to wear masks in instructional spaces as well if they are willing and able to do so. Masks are not required to be worn outdoors.
  
  
• Students in grades 4 to 12 are now required to wear masks in accordance with the government’s announcement last night. We have received clarification that this is to follow the same requirements for masking that were put in place last year. Specifically, students will need to wear masks in all indoor areas except in classrooms where they are able to sit without facing each other and with the greatest distance possible between students. Masks are not required to be worn outdoors.
  
  
• Staff and visitors to schools are required to wear masks at all times, except when seated in classrooms or at work stations and are distanced at least two metres from other individuals.

Cohorting

This is for students in Kindergarten to Grade 6 only and does not apply to students in grades 7 to 12. This will look similar to last year, when students spent most of their time with other students in their class or grade (depending on the school and grade configuration of the school). There is no set size for a cohort and it may vary depending on the physical space of the classroom.

Cohorting is not required outdoors, but schools may implement measures to reduce the number of students who are outdoors together during recess and other breaks.

Physical Education, Extra-Curricular Activities, Performances and Events

• Students are not required to wear masks while participating in physical education, extracurricular sports or intramurals. 
  
  
• Masks will be required while students are walking to and from class, in change rooms, and when students are not engaged in physical activity.
  
  
• Physical distancing will be encouraged where possible.
  
  
• When spectators are invited to events, spectator attendance will be restricted to ⅓ fire code capacity. All spectators must be masked and distanced from individuals who are not part of their household of 2 close contacts for those living alone.
  
  

Changes to COVID-19 Notifications

As we have shared previously, Alberta Health Services no longer informs us when a case of COVID-19 is connected to one of our schools and we are no longer required to inform families or staff when a case has been identified in our school. Students who are close contacts of someone with COVID-19 are also no longer required to quarantine.

Many of you have indicated that you would like to know when there is a case of COVID-19 connected to your child’s classroom or school so that you can make decisions about how to respond that work best for your child and your family.

At yesterday’s Board meeting, the Board directed administration to develop a communication protocol to inform families and staff when someone discloses to us that they have tested positive for COVID-19. We are currently in the process of determining what this will look like and we will have more information to share with you once that process is finalized.

We appreciate all of the individuals who have informed us of positive cases so far and we encourage you to continue to share that information with us as it helps us in our efforts to reduce transmission in our schools. That information is also valuable when we report absences due to illness of greater than 10% to Alberta Health Services, so that we are able to include how many of those absences are COVID related.

Once again, we would like to thank all of our NLPS families for their continued support to ensure healthy and safe learning environments for our students.

Questions?

As always, please feel free to contact your child’s school with any questions you have. You may also send your questions to communications@nlsd.ab.ca or submit them to our Northern Lights Public Schools Questions and Answers Facebook group and we will do our best to answer them or direct you to someone who can. 

As many of you may already be aware, new public health restrictions were announced by the provincial government to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The restrictions that are applicable to schools come into effect at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday, September 16).

These include:

• Mandatory masking for students in grades 4 and up, plus staff and teachers in all grades.
• Class cohorting for elementary grades (K to 6)
• Indoor sports/performance/recreation/special interests are permitted with requirements for two-metre physical distancing, where possible.
• Youth aged 18 and under are not required to mask or maintain two-metre distance when engaged in physical activity.
• There are no restrictions on outdoor activities.
• Spectator attendance is restricted to 1/3 fire code capacity and limited to households or 2 close contacts for those living alone. Attendees must be masked and distanced.

We know many of you have questions about what this looks like at your school. As we were only informed of these changes at the same time they were announced to the public, we are still working on the details and seeking clarification in some areas. 

We will have more details to share with families tomorrow, after we have received more information from Alberta Education. 

In the meantime, please note that masking remains mandatory for students in preschool and K to 3 in all indoor, non-instructional areas as per the Board’s motion from August 26th. Students in those grades who wish to wear their masks at additional times of the day are encouraged to do so. 

All students are reminded to bring masks to school with them tomorrow. For students in grades 4 to 12, we recommend adding a spare mask to their backpacks as they may be required to wear their masks more frequently than they have been so far this year.

We appreciate all of the support we have received from our NLPS families as we have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic together. We ask for your patience and understanding as we work to adapt to these new restrictions and keep our students healthy and safe while at school. 

COVID-19 Protocols

All students, staff and visitors to the school are required to screen for symptoms of COVID-19 using the Alberta Health Daily Checklist. Please be aware there are two different checklists: one for children under 18 years of age and one for adults. Please ensure you are completing the correct checklist and following the guidelines for isolation and testing that are included in those documents.

AHS is no longer informing us when a case of COVID-19 is connected to one of our schools, and they are no longer doing any contact tracing. Students are also not required to quarantine if there is a case of COVID-19 at school, even if that case is in their classroom. More information about the requirements for the 2021-2022 school year is included in the Guidance for Respiratory Illness Prevention and Management in Schools.

If there is a school-wide absence rate of 10% or greater due to illness, we will be reporting that to AHS and following their guidance and recommendations. To assist us with monitoring absences, it is important for families to continue to report when their children are absent due to illness. We would also appreciate it if families would report positive test results to their child’s school, although it is not required.

AHS COVID-19 School Immunization Program

Alberta Health Services has been contacting our schools to arrange for eligible students (grades 7-12)  to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. More information is included in the attached letter from AHS.

Please note that children will only be immunized if a parent/guardian completes a consent form and returns it to the school. If you wish to have your child immunized through this program, please review the information included in the attached School Immunization Information Package, print and complete the consent form, and return the signed form to your child’s school. Forms should be returned as soon as possible. Parents/guardians of students attending schools in Cold Lake are requested to return forms no later than Monday, September 13. Parents/guardians of students attending schools in the Bonnyville area (including Ardmore, Iron River and Glendon) are requested to return forms no later than Friday, September 17.

Please contact your child’s school to confirm the date that AHS will be on site. 

If you do not wish to have your child immunized, do not sign the consent form and do not return it to the school.

Mask Exemption Process

We have received many questions about whether or not students can be exempted from wearing a mask. We have updated the Mask Guidelines that were in place last year to reflect changes that have been made for 2021-2022. The guidelines outline the criteria for mask exemptions and the process that students and staff need to follow if they wish to apply for an exemption.

Mask Exemption Request Forms are available by contacting your child’s school. Families with students enrolled in preschool can access a form by contacting the division’s preschool coordinator.

2021-2022 Back to School Plan

On behalf of the Northern Lights Public Schools Board of Trustees, we would like to welcome all of our students, staff, and families Back to School for the 2021-2022 school year. We know many of you have been anxious to learn about what this school year may look like and what COVID-19 protocols may or may not be in place.

Yesterday (Wednesday, August 25, 2021), the Board of Trustees reviewed the 2021-2022 School Year Plan and Guidance for Respiratory Illness Prevention and Management in Schools documents provided to us by Alberta Education and Alberta Health earlier this month. These documents include a variety of actions that we must follow for the 2021-2022 school year. In addition to these requirements, the Board also has the autonomy to implement its own measures above and beyond what the province has mandated.

In our discussions, the Board took into consideration all of the feedback that has been received from stakeholders, including students, staff, parents/guardians and members of our community, as well as the number of active COVID cases in our region, local vaccination rates, and the provincial public health orders currently in place. 

With current positivity rates of 25% in the North zone and vaccination rates below 70%, the Board felt it was necessary to implement measures beyond what was included in the provincial plan. Specifically, masks will be mandatory for all students, staff and visitors in non-instructional areas (entrance ways, boot rooms, hallways) of schools until the regional vaccination rate reaches 70%, or until the situation is re-evaluated at the September 29, 2021 Board meeting, coinciding with the current provincial requirement timeline. As per the provincial public health order, students and staff will also be required to wear masks on school buses. Masks will not be mandatory in classrooms or where students are participating in instructional activities in other areas of the school (gymnasium, library, CTS labs, etc.). Students and staff who choose to wear masks in instructional areas will be supported in their decision to do so.

In all other areas, with the exception of masks, NLPS will align with the requirements included in the provincial documents.

This includes the following:

• Staying home when sick - Anyone entering a school will need to screen for symptoms using the Alberta Daily Checklist and follow the requirements for isolation that are in that document. Students and staff who show signs of illness while at school will be sent home.
• HVAC systems will be maintained in accordance with manufacturer guidelines, and NLPS will continue with the practice of regularly circulating fresh air in schools while maintaining a comfortable temperature for students and staff.
• Regular cleaning, including regular cleaning and disinfecting of high touch surfaces.
• Continued promotion of hand hygiene including placing hand sanitizer in locations throughout the school where soap and water are not available, promoting the use of hand hygiene throughout the school day and sharing information about hand hygiene with students, staff and visitors to the school

In addition, to maintain a high level of cleanliness and sanitation, NLPS will not be opening up its schools for use by outside groups. This will also be reviewed at the September 29, 2021 Board meeting. The Board has also requested that administration provide a cost and benefits analysis of installing portable classroom HEPA filters as a potential future measure for the division to consider.

More details about all of the measures our division is taking to address COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses is included in our 2021-2022 Back to School and Learning Pathways Guide. In addition to outlining the measures that will be in place for in-person learning at our schools, this guide also includes information on other learning pathways may choose to pursue with Northern Lights. This includes our new Learning Together Anywhere School (online learning) as well as Home Education. 

We would like to thank all of our NLPS students, staff, and families for their continued patience, co-operation and support as we enter this new school year and we look forward to connecting with all of you and working together to provide our children with the best possible learning opportunities so they can grow and thrive.

Thank you.

Arlene Hrynyk
Board Chair
Northern Lights Public Schools

Rick Cusson
Superintendent
Northern Lights Public Schools

Learning Pathways 

NLPS families have three Learning Pathways to choose from for the 2021-2022 school year. In addition to in-person classes at one of our 27 schools, NLPS is offering families the option to enroll in our Learning Together Anywhere School or participate in Home Education in partnership with one of our schools.

More details are included in the 2021-2022 Back to School & Learning Pathways Guide. 

COVID-19 School Immunization Program

Alberta Education has asked us to share information about the COVID-19 School Immunization Program that Alberta Health Services will be offering in September and October. Through this program, COVID-19 immunizations will be available for eligible students in Grades 7-12 as well as school staff. 

More information is included in this Letter from AHS.

Please note that children will only be immunized if a parent/guardian completes a consent form and returns it to the school. If you wish to have your child immunized through this program, please review the information included in the School Immunization Information Package, print and complete the consent form, and return the signed form to your child’s school.

If you do not wish to have your child immunized, do not sign the consent form and do not return it to the school.

Transportation and Out of School Care Registration

In our previous communication to families, we had indicated that the deadline to register for transportation and/or out of school care was August 25, if you wanted to ensure a space would be available for your child on September 1. That deadline has been extended to Friday, August 27 to provide families with time to review the division’s Back to School Plan before registering for those services. 

If you require transportation or out of school care for your child(ren) starting September 1, please ensure your registration is complete before the end of the day on Friday. If you complete your registration after Friday, we may have difficulty making those services available for September 1.

The Board of Trustees will be meeting on Wednesday, August 25 to review the 2021-22 School Year Plan provided to us by Alberta Education and finalize the division’s Back to School plan. Once the division’s plan is finalized, it will be shared with families so that you know what to expect for the start of the school year. 

Learning Pathways

NLPS families have three Learning Pathways to choose from for the 2021-2022 school year. In addition to in-person classes at one of our 27 schools, NLPS is offering families the option to enroll in our Learning Together Anywhere School or participate in Home Education in partnership with one of our schools.

More details will be included in our 2021-2022 Learning Pathways Guide, which will be shared once our Back to School plan has been finalized.

Transferring Between Schools

We have been receiving questions from families about transferring students between schools. 

If you are already enrolled in an NLPS school, you do not need to fill out a new registration form. All you need to do is tell your child’s school that you want to transfer them to another school. They will connect with that school and share your child's information with them. This is the same process to follow if you want to transfer to our Learning Together Anywhere School or from LTA back to in-person classes.
If your child is simply moving on to their next school (ie. elementary to middle or middle to high school), you do not need to do anything. Their information will be automatically shared with the new school.

Alberta Education and Alberta Health have asked us to share the attached letter with all NLPS families.

CMOH Letter - Return to School Information 

Northern Lights is still in the process of reviewing today's announcement, updates to the 2021-2022 School Year Plan previously shared in June, and the new Guidance for Respiratory Illness Prevention and Management in Schools  and Parents' Guide 2021-22 School Year documents that were released earlier today.

We will have more information to provide to families next week on what the return to school looks like in NLPS. Our schools will also be sharing school-specific information with families once school staff return and have finalized their school start up plans for the 2021-2022 school year.

As always, we appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work to address the challenges presented to us by COVID-19 while preparing for a new school year.

2021-2022 School Year Plan

Alberta Education has shared the 2021-2022 School Year Plan with school divisions and it is based on a return to normal, with contingency scenarios in case the COVID-19 situation changes during the school year.

Some of the measures that were put in place for 2020-2021 are being removed, such as the requirement for students in grades 4-12 to wear masks. Other measures will continue to be in place including promoting hand hygiene, staying home when sick, and continuing with regular clearing and disinfection of high touch areas. Additional measures may be put in place for schools that experience an outbreak during the school year.

We have been advised that  we will receive further information about the health practices and measures that will be needed to support the plan closer to the start of the school year. We will share this information with our NLPS families once it is provided to us. Schools will also share school-specific information with families closer to the start of the school year.