Kindergarten to Grade 12 students are heading back to Alberta schools after an extended holiday break due to surging cases of COVID-19.
Alberta is currently dealing with its highest active COVID-19 case count since the start of the pandemic.
Almost half of the province’s active cases are in the Calgary zone, which is raising concerns for some parents.
Both the Calgary Catholic School District(CCSD) and the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) said they’re putting an emphasis on increasing ventilation and airflow as much as possible to reduce transmission.
The CBE recently posted an update outlining the possibility that schools in Calgary could still potentially shift to online learning depending on staff availability and student absentee rates.
Many Calgary schools are also bracing for a potential lack of bus drivers which could result in last-minute cancellations and delays.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to check the CBE website for more information on potential transportation issues and to have a backup plan in place to get their kids to school if their route is cancelled altogether.
The CCSD has also posted updates as well as a handbook for parents and guardians to view on its website.
The province will be distributing rapid test kits and medical-grade masks to schools across the province, but the shipment of those items won’t arrive at Calgary schools until the end of the week.
Approximately 38 per cent of children between the ages of five and 11 in Alberta have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
