Are there cases of COVID in your child’s school? Use our tool to search Ontario schools by name and track cases across the province

With children under the age of 12 still ineligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, and the fourth wave looming in the province, experts say it is not surprising that cases of the virus are being detected in Ontario schools.

Here the Toronto Star unveils its Ontario Schools COVID tracker to provide parents, teachers, caregivers and the general public with updated COVID case numbers across all publicly funded elementary and secondary schools in the province.

Readers can search their school to see how many cases have been detected in students and staff. We also present a rolling total of cases to track the spread of the virus in schools over time.

The province said in August that all classrooms without a mechanical ventilation system, as well as all kindergarten classrooms, would receive a portable HEPA filter. Individual school boards have also committed to conducting their own ventilation upgrades in an effort to make learning areas safer for students and staff. But even with these measures, cases were expected.

“We have to normalize COVID-19 for our schools and have an approach that is prudent, that is cautious, but realizes that we are going to have an increase in cases,” said the province’s medical director of health, Dr. Kieran Moore. in August.

Extracurricular activities have returned at most meetings, with the exception of the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic School Board.

In a statement issued Sept. 14, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said his government “has followed and will continue to follow the advice of the Medical Director of Health to ensure the safety of our schools, students and staff. Our cautious reopening plan follows the expert advice of pediatric hospitals, including Sick Kids, designed to minimize disruption and maximize safety. “

“We are taking more steps by requiring all staff to be fully vaccinated or tested on a regular and weekly basis, to protect schools and keep them open,” he said.

Experts have said that neighborhood vaccination rates will help inform the risk of transmission among students; Schools in areas with high vaccination rates are likely to experience fewer outbreaks, while schools in communities with lower overall vaccination rates may experience more.

Under provincial regulations, schools must immediately report any suspected or confirmed COVID cases among students and staff to their local public health unit. Boards should also post an alert on their own websites if cases are detected.