Stephenville schools will reopen Monday
Classes were suspended because of possible exposure to a presumptive positive case
STEPHENVILLE — The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District plans to resume instruction at Stephenville Primary and Stephenville Middle School on Monday.
The board suspended classes at the two schools on Friday after it learned from Public Health Thursday night that some students and staff at the two schools may have come into contact with an individual or individuals who tested presumptive positive for COVID 19.
On Friday afternoon, Dan O’brien, assistant director of education for programs in the western region, said anyone considered a close contact of the case has been contacted by Public Health and advised of the next steps.
O’brien said the notification from Public Health did not advise that there needed to be any change in school operations.
“We had no reason to close the schools or no reason to believe the schools weren’t safe for children,” said O’brien.
But the district decided to suspend classes anyway, as there were also operational issues with regard to staffing.
If the children went to school and there weren’t enough staff to accommodate them, it could be a problem, the district determined.
“I think we made the right call,” said O’brien.
“The challenge is whenever you disrupt service of the school it might send the wrong message that there is an issue in the school.”
He said the district tries to keep schools open because it indicates and signals to the community that the school is still safe.
O’brien said it’s his understanding that Public Health assesses each of the close contacts of a presumptive case to ascertain the level of contact. That includes things like how long a teacher was in a classroom, or was it a teacher on duty or one that just came in and said hello and left again.
In dealing with this in other schools, including the ongoing situation in Lewisporte, some staff are allowed to return to work once they get a negative test result, and others may be asked to isolate for 14 days, he said.
“We’re confident at this point from the information we have from Public Health that the greatest number of staff that may have been deemed a close contact are going to be able to work on Monday.”
O’brien said the district will continue to monitor the situation with Public Health and if the plan changes it will let parents know as quickly as possible.
He said some parents may be reluctant to send their kids to school, and when schools are kept open, attendance is not good in the first few days.
“But what we’ve found often is that the staff and students that do come really are eager to talk about what they’re feeling and where they’re to.”
O’brien said it’s a chance to get kids out of the house and get normalcy back in their lives.
Staying open is also critical for vulnerable populations within the school system, he said.
“From a broader public health perspective, the school actually is an essential and key player in ensuring community health.”
In its regular daily COVID19 update, Health and Community Services announced Friday afternoon that there were six presumptive positive cases in Western Health that were related to a positive case that was announced on Thursday. That case involves a person between 20 and 39 years of age and is still under investigation.
The update was followed by an announcement by Western Health that COVID-19 testing would be available for students and staff of Stephenville Primary School at a drive-up testing site on Montana Drive on Saturday.
In addition to the suspension of classes at the two schools, the Town of Stephenville closed the town office on Friday.
Mayor Tom Rose said there was a connection between staff and the schools, and the decision was made from a cautionary perspective.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, the town has been trying to mitigate and follow public health guidelines while still providing the services needed for the community, he said.
Rose said Friday’s closure was a good decision considering there are several positive cases in Stephenville.
“If that gets contained, that’s great, but if it spreads it’s not a good thing.”
The cases Rose mentioned are listed by the Health Department as presumptive, but still have to be considered as positive.
If all goes well over the weekend, the plan is to reopen the town office on Monday, Rose said.
“Unless we have community spread, and that will be a different story.”