Five Delta schools have started the week on Fraser Health’s list of schools that have had recent COVID-19 exposures.
A notice has been issued to the Beach Grove Elementary school community of an exposure event which occurred on Oct. 12.
Also having exposure events were Cougar Canyon Elementary (Oct. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), Hawthorne Elementary (Oct. 5, 6, 8, 12, 13, 14), Holly Elementary (Oct. 6, 7, 8) and Sands Secondary (Oct. 8).
The BC Teachers’ Federation recently noted it become clear to the union that a COVID-19 vaccine mandate is likely to come to the public education system.
The BCTF Executive Committee discussed the issues and took the position that the Federation supports provincial mandatory vaccines in the K–12 system for school staff and volunteers.
At an in-camera meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 12, Delta school trustees directed school district staff to begin work immediately on a safety policy and/or procedure, to provide, amongst other safety measures, the viability of mandatory vaccinations against SARS-CoV-2, for all staff.
“When it comes to a serious illness with the potential for loss of life such as COVID-19, the board of trustees believes we should implement as many health and safety precautions as possible,” said board chair Val Windsor in a news release. “We have a duty to keep our schools safe for our students and staff. As most COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are now among unvaccinated adults, we believe that everyone who is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine should get vaccinated.
“We recognize that introducing a vaccine mandate is a highly sensitive and complex issue. As a result, we are committed to doing our due diligence and approaching this issue in a careful and thoughtful manner.”
The school district will present a report on this matter at a future meeting of the board.
