HUMBOLDT — The Horizon School Division has had more reported COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks than the first two years of the pandemic – reaching over 400 cases since the semester began in January.
The division is also facing an above average amount of staff absences this month, reaching up to 20 per cent at one time.
Kevin Garinger, Horizon’s director of education, said that in a standard year it would be between 10 to 15 per cent.
These numbers were reviewed by the Horizon board of education during their meeting on Jan 19.
“The increase in that would likely be because of COVID because we’ve never had the number of staff absences that we are experiencing right now,” Garinger said. “Whether we see a continued increase that way, we don’t know.”
If a substitute teacher isn’t able to attend, Garinger said that other teachers are filling in the role, neglecting their prep time in favour of ensuring another class can be supported.
To assist with the need, the Saskatchewan Professional Teachers Regulatory Board has allowed boards to use post-secondary students in their final year of training to step up and fill in for absent teachers through a provisional certificate.
Virtual classrooms are being considered as a last resort option or when a close contact occurs.
“We want to try to keep our buildings open. It’s hard on our kids, it’s hard on our staff, and it’s also hard on families. We believe that learning in front of teachers is their best course of action for them,” Garinger said. “If things are too challenging we will shift and go in another direction.”
A total of 97.8 per cent of teachers within the Horizon School Division have now been vaccinated along with a total of 95.9 per cent of support staff.
Garinger said their hope is that the pandemic’s current wave will subside, but in the meantime they will continue to ensure their guidelines follow the most recent Public Health orders.
“We’ll continue to make sure restrictions are in place in our schools that continue to control the spread. Things like cohorting, masking, distancing when possible, sanitizing, doing all those types of things will remain a practice and that practice has proven to control the spread – not ever prevent, but certainly control,” Garinger said.
“The big thing in all that is you hope people who contract the virus are able to remain safe and that it’s no more than a mild cold and those types of symptoms that relate.”
