Student absences rise again, two weeks after return from winter break

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Mother and father proceed to advocate for improved air high quality measures as scholar absences in public colleges decide up once more after the top of winter break.

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Greater than two weeks after college students went again to class, absenteeism charges on the Calgary Board of Schooling on Jan. 18 rose to a median of three.5 p.c for college kids in grades Okay to 9, after which as excessive as 6.3 p.c for college kids in Grades Okay by 3 in the course of this week.

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A number of colleges additionally reached outbreak standing, with absenteeism charges of 10 p.c or increased, together with Emily Follensbee Faculty with 18 p.c absenteeism, James Brief Memorial at 10.5 p.c and Janet Johnstone Faculty at 10 p.c.

This week CBE additionally recognized 1,072 posts requiring substitute lecturers or informal workers, together with 567 lecturers and 377 assist workers away because of sickness.

As much as 108 of those positions went unfilled, regardless of highschool college students not at school and writing remaining exams this month.

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Mother and father requesting HEPA filters in lecture rooms

However with mother and father nonetheless anxious about sickness and air high quality asking the CBE to permit HEPA filters in lecture rooms, they are saying they’re being stonewalled.

“There are very massive issues throughout the schooling system, there will not be sufficient lecturers, lecture rooms, sources or cash. And they’re all actually laborious to deal with,” stated Sam Hester, mom of two kids in grades 3 and 9 on the CBE.

“However when there are issues we will do now, like permitting HEPA filters to enhance air high quality, why not do this, after which perhaps we will handle these different issues.”

Hester says her kids’s colleges have seen excessive absenteeism throughout this faculty yr, which continues to have an effect on socialization and studying, almost three years after the onset of COVID.

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‘Being in school in particular person is best’

“Throughout COVID, my children have been studying from house, and so they actually missed all that social interplay,” Hester stated, including that her youthful son additionally skilled studying loss.

“Being on the faculty in particular person is best in each attainable method,” Hester added.

“Shedding out on social interactions, studying in particular person, that is one thing you merely cannot substitute.

“However even now… we nonetheless see excessive illness charges. But we’ve the instruments to handle it.”

Mother and father say they’re assembly resistance from CBE

Hester despatched a number of communications to the CBE asking for HEPA filters in lecture rooms. However she says the solutions have been complicated, together with that HEPA filters can be utilized improperly and blow extra contaminated air towards college students.

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“It simply does not make sense to say that we should not use a software as a result of it is likely to be used improperly. It is like saying you should not drive a automotive as a result of it’d crash.”

Amanda Hu, spokeswoman for the advocacy group Contemporary Air Colleges, stated she is amassing an inventory of complaints from mother and father who need HEPA filters in Calgary colleges, particularly after the Edmonton Public Faculty Affiliation allowed them final fall.

Hu stated she not too long ago spoke with a dad or mum who requested a custodian about air high quality and using HEPA filters at a Calgary faculty. However when this was reported to the principal, the dad or mum was warned that if she bothered the caretaker once more, the varsity can be positioned on lockdown and she or he can be eliminated.

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“What we’re seeing now’s that folks, college students, even lecturers who’re preventing for higher air high quality are being handled as if they’re anti-science.

“After they ask legitimate questions, once they ask fundamental air high quality data, the response may be very defensive, very aggressive.”

Studying loss stays an issue

Hu argued that renewed efforts to enhance air high quality and scale back illness are particularly necessary as extra knowledge exhibiting studying loss involves mild.

Final week, the CBE launched standardized check outcomes exhibiting important drops in scores greater than two years after COVID closed colleges, then continued to trigger intermittent disruptions in studying.

“There simply does not appear to be a realization that studying is difficult when everybody will get sick on a regular basis,” Hu stated.

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CBE stated principals are working to handle illness charges, as they have been earlier than winter break, corresponding to altering sure occasions or actions as required, shifting parent-teacher conferences and college board conferences on-line, or adjusting and out of some assemblies or extracurricular actions. set.

CBE says air high quality as much as requirements

The CBE added filtration efforts haven’t modified since spring 2022, when the system was upgraded to MERV 13 filters “the place attainable,” and that each one colleges are mechanically ventilated.

“Over the previous two faculty years, Alberta Labour, Occupational Well being & Security and Alberta Well being Companies have inspected CBE colleges and decided that the well being measures in place are absolutely compliant with present authorities suggestions,” stated CBE spokesperson Joanne Anderson.

She added that transportable air cleansing units, corresponding to HEPA filters, are solely beneficial when no mechanical air flow exists, that means when home windows are the one air flow.

“Since our colleges are mechanically ventilated, we’ve not put in these transportable units.”

However Hu argued that CBE’s air high quality programs are substandard and that many older colleges are nonetheless with out MERV 13 filters.

The Calgary Catholic Faculty District was unable to offer absence knowledge to Postmedia earlier than its publication deadline.

eferguson@postmedia.com