Quebec parents, teachers and school boards are reporting their own COVID-19 cases due to lack of government data
Frustrated with the lack of data around COVID-19 cases in Quebec schools right now, one English board has decided to take matters into its own hands.
The Lester B. Pearson School Board, on Montreal's West Island, wrote a memo to parents last week saying it would be publishing information on its private portal on COVID-related school absences.
This could include positive at-home rapid tests, kids with COVID-19 symptoms, or families at home in isolation after an exposure or case.
These daily absence numbers are being posted on the board's private portal every day at 4 p.m. so that parents can log in and monitor the COVID-19 situation in their child's class.
The board decided to go this route after the province announced in late December that it would no longer be providing PCR tests to most of the population.
Quebec students do have better access to rapid tests, however, than many others in the province, since each student has been given at least one take-home kit of five tests (children are supposed to be getting another box this month, though not all schools have received them yet).
The results so far? The school board says absences so far show an infection rate of about five to seven per cent.
OTHER CROWD-SOURCING UNDERWAY
Citizen reporting has never been more popular -- COVID Écoles Quebec, the website run by Montreal father Olivier Drouin, has also been collecting crowd-sourced info on school-related infections since Dec. 26, taking rapid tests as the basis of information.
Now that official tests are out of reach for most, even the government is resorting to similar methods. It has asked French school service centres to report COVID-related absences and says it will publish the data soon.
Health Minister Christian Dubé said at the end of December, and again earlier this month, that there will be a government-run platform where people can voluntarily report test results -- though it hasn't happened yet.
The tactic is not only being extended to at-home nose swabs. Drouin is also collecting hundreds of classroom air quality reports from teachers, after asking for them to tell him what classroom CO2 monitors say.
On average, Drouin says, more than 40 per cent of those results are so far showing levels far above the acceptable air quality results by the government's own standards.
For those classrooms, opening windows an option -- but less so in winter, for the sake of kids and teachers. In Quebec, if classrooms drop below 20 degrees, teachers legally have the right to refuse to work.
'VERY FEW' TEACHER ABSENCES - BUT PARENTS DID HELP
The government maintained Monday, nearly a week after children returned to in-person class, that the COVID-19 situation is well under control despite the lack of official data.
The province had prepared people to expect widespread absences and even that parents might need to help supervise classes.
nothing approaching a systemwide breakdown has happened so far, said Minister of Education Jean-Francois Roberge on the sidelines of a press conference.
However, in a few cases, parents did come and lend a hand in class, as called for in those contingency plans, Roberge said.
They were present as group supervisors while the teacher gave her or his lessons from home virtually.
"Very, very few" or "no" school schedules have been interrupted due to teachers being absent due to COVID-19, said Roberge.
He explained that he's been getting a daily "snapshot" report on the situation at both public and private schools.
"I am told that so far there is very, very little -- really marginal or no break -- in service. It is therefore still a great success after a week of returning to class," he said.
According to the information he had on hand, which he said still needs to be verified, no class or school was closed as of last week because of the virus.
However, Roberge could not specify how much absenteeism there has been among students. This data should be available "very, very soon," he promised.
--With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.