Second Catholic school closed in Waterloo Region due to COVID

WATERLOO REGION — The Catholic school board has closed its second school this week as COVID-19 cases create staffing shortages.

St. John Catholic Elementary School in Kitchener is closed as of Thursday and isn’t expected to reopen until March 8, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board said on Wednesday.

“The number of people currently being assessed as potential high-risk contacts is such that we are experiencing challenges having enough staff to safely deliver programs at St. John’s during this time when staff are isolating,” said the board in a letter to parents.

Six cases of the virus have been reported at the school since Feb. 20.

The decision to close the school was not made by public health officials, but by the school board out of “an abundance of caution” and to “ensure that we can safely staff the building,” the letter states.

The school is providing students with Chromebook computers as they will return to virtual learning for the time being.

Joanne Delaney-Fraser, president of CUPE Local 2512 representing support staff with the school board, said nine staff members at the school are considered high-risk contacts of positive cases. They teachers all members of her CUPE local.

Delaney-Fraser noted this is the second time the school has closed this year. In January, when students with special needs were the only ones attending inperson learning, a number of staff tested positive.

The school remained closed to in-person learning until Feb. 8, she said.

To make the school environment safer, she said class sizes need to be smaller and the movement of educators from classroom to classroom needs to end.

This is the second school closed by the board this week. St. Gregory Catholic Elementary School in Galt was closed after a staff member was reported positive for the virus and four of six classes in the school were impacted.

The school is small and a number of staff were considered high risk contacts of the positive case.

St. Gregory is expected to reopen Thursday as many of the staff assessed as high-risk contacts are now able to return, said Loretta Notten, director of education with the board.