Edmonton Public Schools (EPS) will be reaching out to Alberta's chief medical officer of health (CMOH) to request students be masked due to illness "outbreaks".On Tuesday during a board meeting, trustees voted in favour of writing a letter to the CMOH requesting thresholds to determine when health mandates should be implemented in schools.."Alberta Health Services (AHS) decides when a school is placed on outbreak status and when that status is removed," Edmonton Public Schools spokeswoman Veronica Jubinville said.."When a school reaches the 10% absenteeism threshold, health officials will work with the school to determine the next steps. Families receive a letter from AHS if their school is on outbreak status. Our division publicly reports student illness/absentee rates at every school and our division as a whole on our website.".As of Wednesday, there were 105,445 students attending classes in the EPS system. From the total number of students attending classes, .08% of students are absent due to COVID-19 and 12.96% are absent due to other illnesses..EPS stated that the rate of student absences due to illness in schools has been rising steadily since school started in August, exceeding 13% on November 7. EPS added that more than 150 schools met or exceeded the 10% threshold for contacting AHS and current numbers exceed pre-pandemic rates of absence due to illness. This is why EPS is requesting mask mandates be brought back to classrooms..The board then mentioned the October 26, ruling from the Court of King's Bench CM v Alberta..During the COVID-19 pandemic, Alberta's government decided to block school boards from imposing their own mask mandates and then eventually lifted the restrictions which outraged some parents..The case was filed against Alberta's government by the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) and a group of parents. A decision in the case was made on October 26..READ MORE: Court decision finds Alberta's choice to lift mask mandates in schools 'unreasonable'."I find that, while the Order was issued by the chief medical officer of Health, that order merely implemented a decision of a committee of cabinet, rather than being the chief medical officer's own decision," Justice G.S. Dunlop wrote in the decision..The case stated Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw's decision to remove a masking order in Alberta schools was not her own and rather a decision from the former Kenney government..The case states Education Minister Adriana LaGrange overstepped her authority when she ordered Alberta school boards could not impose their own mask mandates.."While Minister LaGrange's statement on its face appears to prohibit school boards from imposing mask mandates, it does not do so because the minister can only do that through a regulation, and the statement was not a regulation," Dunlop said.."Given the simultaneous spread of COVID, Influenza, and RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) never seen before in our community, we move that the Edmonton Public School Board of Trustees write to Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health requesting thresholds to determine when additional health protocols, including mandatory isolation periods and masking requirements, should be put in place for schools," the EPS motion read in the meeting on Tuesday.."Furthermore, be it moved that the EPS Board request that during periods when schools are on outbreak status, the CMOH alongside the provincial government reinstate safety protocols including masking, and other previously implemented measures as per the CMOH's recommendations, to help reduce the spread of illness in schools.".The Board of Trustees, along with Administration from EPS, then requested a meeting with the CMOH, the minister of education, and the minister of health..READ MORE: Smith vows to never bring COVID mask mandates into Alberta schools.Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government will never bring masking mandates into schools during pandemics ever again.."Our government will not permit any further masking mandates of children in Alberta’s K-12 education system. The detrimental effects of masking on the mental health, development, and education of children in classroom settings are well understood, and we must turn the page on what has been an extremely difficult time for children, along with their parents and teachers," said Smith in a statement.
Edmonton Public Schools (EPS) will be reaching out to Alberta's chief medical officer of health (CMOH) to request students be masked due to illness "outbreaks".On Tuesday during a board meeting, trustees voted in favour of writing a letter to the CMOH requesting thresholds to determine when health mandates should be implemented in schools.."Alberta Health Services (AHS) decides when a school is placed on outbreak status and when that status is removed," Edmonton Public Schools spokeswoman Veronica Jubinville said.."When a school reaches the 10% absenteeism threshold, health officials will work with the school to determine the next steps. Families receive a letter from AHS if their school is on outbreak status. Our division publicly reports student illness/absentee rates at every school and our division as a whole on our website.".As of Wednesday, there were 105,445 students attending classes in the EPS system. From the total number of students attending classes, .08% of students are absent due to COVID-19 and 12.96% are absent due to other illnesses..EPS stated that the rate of student absences due to illness in schools has been rising steadily since school started in August, exceeding 13% on November 7. EPS added that more than 150 schools met or exceeded the 10% threshold for contacting AHS and current numbers exceed pre-pandemic rates of absence due to illness. This is why EPS is requesting mask mandates be brought back to classrooms..The board then mentioned the October 26, ruling from the Court of King's Bench CM v Alberta..During the COVID-19 pandemic, Alberta's government decided to block school boards from imposing their own mask mandates and then eventually lifted the restrictions which outraged some parents..The case was filed against Alberta's government by the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) and a group of parents. A decision in the case was made on October 26..READ MORE: Court decision finds Alberta's choice to lift mask mandates in schools 'unreasonable'."I find that, while the Order was issued by the chief medical officer of Health, that order merely implemented a decision of a committee of cabinet, rather than being the chief medical officer's own decision," Justice G.S. Dunlop wrote in the decision..The case stated Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw's decision to remove a masking order in Alberta schools was not her own and rather a decision from the former Kenney government..The case states Education Minister Adriana LaGrange overstepped her authority when she ordered Alberta school boards could not impose their own mask mandates.."While Minister LaGrange's statement on its face appears to prohibit school boards from imposing mask mandates, it does not do so because the minister can only do that through a regulation, and the statement was not a regulation," Dunlop said.."Given the simultaneous spread of COVID, Influenza, and RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) never seen before in our community, we move that the Edmonton Public School Board of Trustees write to Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health requesting thresholds to determine when additional health protocols, including mandatory isolation periods and masking requirements, should be put in place for schools," the EPS motion read in the meeting on Tuesday.."Furthermore, be it moved that the EPS Board request that during periods when schools are on outbreak status, the CMOH alongside the provincial government reinstate safety protocols including masking, and other previously implemented measures as per the CMOH's recommendations, to help reduce the spread of illness in schools.".The Board of Trustees, along with Administration from EPS, then requested a meeting with the CMOH, the minister of education, and the minister of health..READ MORE: Smith vows to never bring COVID mask mandates into Alberta schools.Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government will never bring masking mandates into schools during pandemics ever again.."Our government will not permit any further masking mandates of children in Alberta’s K-12 education system. The detrimental effects of masking on the mental health, development, and education of children in classroom settings are well understood, and we must turn the page on what has been an extremely difficult time for children, along with their parents and teachers," said Smith in a statement.
