COVID Return to School

Oral swabs are less favourable due to their lower sensitivity in comparison to nasal or deep nasal specimen collection. Hence, false negative rates would be considerably higher. As a corollary, if oral swabs were used for all test subjects, there would be a far higher number of true positive COVID-19 cases compared to test-confirmed positive cases. This obviously has numerous adverse consequences – most notably of which being infected, infectious individuals unknowingly spreading the disease due to falsely negative test results. For more information on COVID-19 testing, please refer to Public Health Ontario’s COVID-19 Laboratory Testing Q&A’s document, seen here

Please refer to the Enhanced Cleaning and Disinfection section of the OCDSB’s Health, Safety and Well-Being page, visible here, for information on cleaning and sanitation protocol. According to the OCDSB, enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols will be followed in all schools and work locations with special attention paid to high-traffic surfaces. Only approved cleaners and disinfectants will be used, and cleaning staff will receive special training on cleaning and disinfecting practices.

According to the OCDSB, there may be designated points where a requested change from online to in class or vice versa can be implemented. The timing of requests for change will have to be considered relative to assessment periods, semesters, class size, and available staff. Work with the Ministry is underway to better understand how to support change requests. For more details, please explore the OCDSB’s Frequently Asked Questions page, visible here

According to the OCDSB, provincial guidance is being provided on case management and contact tracing, as well as outbreak protocols. In the event of confirmed cases, Ottawa Public Health will investigate specific situations, identifying close contacts of those involved. They could then direct some or all students in a class or in a school to stay at home. In this situation, a transition to remote learning for that group of students would be made until they can return to school. For more information, please refer to the OCDSB’s Frequently Asked Questions, visible here

According to the OCDSB, secondary students’ direct and indirect contacts should be limited to no more than 100, and elementary students’ direct and indirect contacts should be limited to no more than 50. For more information on cohorting, please refer to the OCDSB’s Health, Safety and Well-Being page, seen here

When students are unregistered and truly homeschooled, funding is taken away from schools, creating more inequity. Schools will be re-shuffled and teachers would become surplus if enough families unregister their children. Taking advantage of remote learning, however, keeps the funding in place.

According to the OCDSB, secondary students’ direct and indirect contacts are to be limited to a maximum 100, and elementary students’ direct and indirect contacts are to be limited to a maximum of 50. Read more about cohorting guidelines on the OCDSB’s Health, Safety and Well-Being page, visible here

According to the OCDSB, all students in grade 4 to 12 and required to wear a mask or face covering at all times during the school day, and students in grades K-3 may also wear a mask or face covering based on parental choice. As well, all school based staff will be provided with medical/procedural masks which are required to be worn at all times while at work. Mask use has been employed as a supplement to physical distancing to maximize safety. To read more about mask use guidelines in schools, please refer to the OCDSB’s Health, Safety and Well-Being page, seen here

According to Public Health Ontario, as of May 23, 2020, their laboratory has detected a false positivity rate of less than 0.01% (specificity of >99.99%). False negatives are more concerning. Studies have found the test’s sensitivity (true positive rate) to measure between 70% and 90%. Hence, a 10-30% false negative rate has been estimated based on preliminary research. Read more on COVID-19 laboratory testing in Public Health Ontario’s COVID-19 Laboratory Testing Q&A article, seen here

It is commonly stated that a rough estimate for the maximum amount of time that a mask should be worn is 8 hours. Re-use of masks is not recommended. As such, if the mask is removed, it could be beneficial to provide a mask for the student to change into part way through the day. For more recommendations on mask use, please see the World Health Organization’s Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19, seen here

According to the OCDSB, parents/guardians will be asked to screen their child daily for any symptoms of cold, flu, or other symptoms that may be associated with COVID-19, prior to sending them to school using the COVID-19 Self-Assessment, and parents/guardians will be asked to keep their child home if they exhibit an signs of illness, but district staff will not be responsible for screening students for illness (e.g. temperature checks).

If a student becomes ill during the day and/or if they exhibit signs of illness, the parent or guardian will be contacted immediately to pick them up. Each school should designate an isolation room/area for use if a student becomes ill during the school day, where they can wait (with appropriate supervision) until such time as they can be picked up. The student should be kept home until they are symptom-free for a minimum of 24 hours or they are able to provide a medical note indicating that they can return to school. If a staff member is concerned that a student is exhibiting signs of illness, this will be reported to the school administration for follow up. If a student voluntarily shares that they or a member of their family has COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test, this information will also be shared with the school administrator.

For more details, please see the OCDSB’s Health, Safety and Well-Being page, visible here

According to the OCDSB, while playground equipment will remain closed pending further direction from Ottawa Public Health, and students will be discouraged from engaging in games or activities that require close proximity or promote multiple touch points, physical activity will be facilitated by two scheduled recesses. Also, increased outdoor learning for students will be encouraged, and outdoor physical education will continue. Read more about this and other similar topics in the OCDSB’s Frequently Asked Questions page, seen here

According to the CDC, younger children (e.g., preschool or early elementary aged) may be unable to wear a mask properly, particularly for an extended period of time. A recent Rapid Response Report from Alberta Health Services, visible here, found that self-contamination of the hands or face with improper donning and doffing technique was worthy of concern, especially with younger children.

There are testing and surveillance guidelines in progress.

All soaps are composed largely of compounds known as “surfactants”, that have one “hydrophobic” end that attracts oils and fatty substances (such as the outer membrane of bacteria and the outer capsules of enveloped viruses, like SARS CoV-2, the infectious agent behind COVID-19), and a “hyrodphillic” end that attracts water, allowing these oily, fatty substances to be disrupted and washed away with the tap water during hand washing. Provided soap is used, proper hand washing technique and etiquette is the key to ensuring hands are cleaned properly. Please see the Government of Canada’s Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Awareness resources for details and recommendations on hand hygiene, here 

For guidelines and suggestions on quarantining, self-isolation and general mitigation of COVID-19 spread, please refer to the Government of Canada’s Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Prevention and risks page, visible here. For guidelines on testing, please refer to the Canadian Government’s Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Symptoms and treatment page, visible here

Pre-visit screener lists of potential symptoms that would identify patients as ‘positive screeners’ are quite lengthy and most have no idea symptoms listed could potentially symptoms of COVID-19. Public health needs to address these symptom lists. For examples of known symptoms of COVID-19, please refer to the Government of Canada’s Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Symptoms and treatment page, visible here

For tips on controlling the spread of COVID-19, please refer to the Government of Canada’s Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Prevention and risks page, visible here

It’s important for the online environment to include ways for children — younger or older — to interact and connect with peers AND their teacher. The best evidence on online learning suggests that more supports for kids online are important. This is something that we can advocate for in our systems of schooling.

Brewer park CHEO testing only offers a nasopharyngeal swab. A a throat swab is available on Moodie Drive.

According to the OCDSB, their Early Learning Team is still working on specifics for kindergarten. They are aware of the challenges and needs and will be doing their very best to make the class safe and healthy, and to provide the best version of kindergarten that is possible under the current circumstances.

Research has demonstrated that coronaviruses are capable of remaining stable on numerous surfaces for considerable amounts of time, ranging from minutes (on paper) to days (on plastic and stainless steel). According to the OCDSB, enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols will be followed in all schools and work locations with special attention paid to high-traffic surfaces. Only approved cleaners and disinfectants will be used, and cleaning staff will receive special training on cleaning and disinfecting practices. For more details on cleaning, please refer to the Health, Safety and Well-Being section of the OCDSB website, visible here

A specific document for schools from ASHRAE regarding HVAC is found here

According to the OCDSB, provincial guidance is being provided on case management, contact tracing, and outbreak protocols. In situations where there are positive cases in schools, the OCDSB will contact Ottawa Public Health, who will conduct investigations on specific situations, identifying close contacts of all involved. Ottawa Public Health can direct some or all students in a class or in a school to stay at home, where there would be a transition to remote learning for that group of students until they can safely return to school. For more details, please refer to the OCDSB’s Frequently Asked Questions page, seen here

According to the OCDSB, there may be designated points where a requested change from in-person to remote and vice versa can be implemented. The timing of requests for change will have to be considered relative to assessment periods, semesters, class size, and available staff. For more details, please view the OCDSB’s Frequently Asked Questions page, visible here

Air Purifiers in a classroom might be useful if existing HVAC system filters aren’t very good. The main thing is to make sure that the filtration is HEPA level to not cause more problems (spread). Replacing all these additional filters would also need to be handled thoughtfully.

According to the OCDSB, subject to further Ministry direction, or if the number of students participating in Remote Learning is very high, virtual classrooms may be necessary. If so, students across the District in similar grades could form a “class” and be assigned to a teacher who will deliver online instruction.

As classes are sorted, many educators consider keeping children with friends, though it is unlikely that all accommodations can be made.

According to the OCDSB, there may be designated points where a requested change can be implemented. The timing of requests for change will have to be considered relative to assessment periods, semesters, class size, and available staff.

According to the OCDSB, upon discovery of a positive case, Ottawa Public Health will investigate the specific situation, identifying close contacts. Some or all students in the groups involved may then be directed to stay at home, where they will be transitioned to remote learning until it is safe for them to return to class. For more details on outbreak protocols, please refer to the OCDSB’s Frequently Asked Questions page, visible here

Statistics on cases in the City of Ottawa are tallied and mapped by ward on the Ottawa Public Health website, seen here

According to the OCDSB, students will be required to wear reusable cloth masks, either those provided by the Board (for students in grades 4-12) or those brought from home. Disposable non-medical masks will be provided to students who forgot theirs. All school staff must wear procedural masks at all hours on campus, and reusable face shields for work in close proximity with students. Provision of additional PPE and exemptions from wearing other PPE is available under certain circumstances. Full details may be found in the Health, Safety and Wellbeing section of the OCDSB website, seen here

Crowded spaces, confined places, and close physical contact.

For general questions pertaining to COVID-19, please refer to the Government of Canada Coronavirus Disease fact sheet, found here

According to the OCDSB, after coming in contact with COVID-19 and following an investigation of the specific situation by Ottawa Public Health, students will be directed to remain at home and transition to remote learning. For more details, please refer to the OCDSB’s Frequently Asked Questions section visible here