Kramberger: How has the pandemic affected Pearson’s schools this year?

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While schools are closed for the holidays and in-person classes are delayed until at least January 10, West Island parents might wonder how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted students since the fall.

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Within the Lester B. Pearson School Board, 426 positive cases were reported between August 24 and December 20. Of these, 317 (or about 75 percent) were in primary level, 74 in secondary schools, and 34 in adult education. with a case of an individual who was in a primary and secondary school at the time of exposure.

Is the increased number of cases at the primary level related to the fact that vaccinations for children ages 5 to 11 only started on November 24? Vaccinations for children ages 12 to 17 began last May, while a second dose for teens was made possible before school started this fall.

So far this school year, about 50 classes at Pearson schools have been temporarily closed due to an outbreak (two or more cases in the same class), board officials said.

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In light of the Omicron variant and new COVID cases topping 6,000 in Quebec on Wednesday, it makes sense for children to learn from home for the first week after the scheduled vacation. For Pearson students, this means they will have Zoom classes on January 5-7. (Emergency daycare services will be available at the elementary level during those three days.)

For most of the last school year, many high school students alternated day-to-day between in-person classroom learning and online instruction at home, which included virtual physical education classes. I’m not sure this hybrid has made a difference in preventing COVID outbreaks in high schools, but in the end, it is a preferred option for canceling all high school face-to-face classes.

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Despite the fact that Quebec changed its mind about students wearing masks in classroom settings over the past two school years, it appears that many students in Pearson’s schools wisely chose to wear masks in class, even when it was not required.

Whether or not more restrictive measures are necessary, Quebec has essentially ignored air quality control in school buildings, especially those that do not have mechanical ventilation systems. Just over a year ago, I applauded the Pearson board for taking action alone by ordering $ 500,000 worth of high-end filters for schools with mechanical ventilation systems and wall-mounted air purifiers for classrooms in buildings that They only had natural ventilation (open windows and doors).

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While there are multiple COVID case reports in Pearson schools each week, with 426 cumulative cases confirmed as of Monday, consider that the West Island-based English-speaking institution has close to 25,000 students and around 4,000 employees.

Based on these statistics at Pearson, it does not appear that a long-term shutdown of in-person learning is required in local elementary or middle schools, although a combination of vaccines should be used, markedly improved air filtration, and mandatory masks maintained. to smother transmissions.

Albert Kramberger is editor of the West Island / Off-Island section of the Montreal Gazette.

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