Dear Ottawa Catholic School Board Families
COVID Reporting and Contact Tracing in Schools
We wanted you to be aware the government’s COVID-19 monitoring and response strategy has changed regarding how they respond to the virus. Provincial officials will no longer do contact tracing or provide PCR testing for every suspected case. As such, if your child has COVID Symptoms, presume they are infected with the virus. Please self-isolate and do not send your child to school.
COVID Screening
All students and staff must complete the Covid Screening tool daily before attending school. The screening tool is designed to help keep you and others from unknowingly spreading the virus.
OPH Notifications
OPH will no longer notify families as they did before Christmas regarding COVID cases in schools. With all the public health measures in place, exposure in school settings will not typically be considered high-risk by OPH under the new government direction. That is why anyone who exhibits COVID Symptoms must self-isolate at home.
When Possible – OCSB Will NotifyYou
Starting on Wednesday, if the school receives confirmation of a positive COVID test result from a rapid antigen (RAT) or PCR test, the school will email you to notify you of this potential case. Parents can voluntarily inform the school that their child has tested positive on a RAT or PCR test.
It is important to note that Principals will not be involved in contact tracing, and they will maintain confidentiality at all times. As a reminder, Ottawa Public Health has advised us that most school contacts are not considered high-risk and only need to self-isolate if they show symptoms.
Keeping Schools Open
We remain committed to keeping our schools open for in-person learning for the remainder of the school year. We will continue to follow the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Ottawa Public Health, and the Ministry of Education. We know that layering health practices works; those include masks, hand hygiene, and socially distancing where possible. If you choose to vaccinate your child, Ottawa Public Health has a complete list of vaccine clinics available on their website.
Keep safe,
Thank you