EIPS releasing weekly H1N1 stats
In response to multiple requests for information, Elk Island Public Schools is now releasing absentee figures
Posted By Michael Di Massa News Staff
Posted 9 months ago
Elk Island Public Schools has started releasing weekly absentee figures for its 44 schools.
During the first week of November, EIPS schools saw a combined student absentee rate of 13 per cent.
As many as 21 of the district's 44 schools had an absentee rate higher than 10 per cent on Nov. 3. The following day saw only nine schools with a rate higher than 10 per cent.
Individual schools saw student absenteeism rates between 10 to 21 per cent during that week.
"When it hits the school, it seems to go for a few days where the absenteeism rises and then after a few days it starts to come down again," said Lisa Johnston, occupational health and safety specialist for EIPS.
"What has been consistent is the range (of ill students). I'd say the average tends to be the same. Around 12 to 13 per cent. We're not seeing 30 per cent absenteeism," she said.
She added that the absenteeism rates, while higher than usual for a typical flu season, were not unexpected because of the anticipated second wave of H1N1 illness.
According to Alberta Health Services, 99.7 per cent of reported flu related illness is related to the H1N1 virus.
Alberta Health Services is requiring provincial school districts to report when a school's student absenteeism rate reaches 10 per cent.
Johnston said teachers are doing daily flu checks on students during morning rollcall, asking how they're feeling and looking for symptoms of illness.
Students who appear ill are screened and isolated until picked up if they are sent home, she said.
Thus far, the need for isolated sick rooms hasn't forced schools to expand beyond their default medical facility, Johnston said.
School closures haven't come up in district discussions, Johnston said, but it may be an option for EIPS to curtail student activity in extracurricular events if the transmission rate of the illness starts to increase.
"Right now, it's still business as usual," she said.
In an effort to prevent students and staff from falling ill, hand sanitizers have been installed along school hallways and custodial staff have increased their efforts in high-priority zones and on high-priority surfaces.
Additional flu kits are also being distributed to schools.
Johnston said she was unsure of the financial hit to the EIPS custodial budget, but that there would be an impact. Individual school budgets aren't being impacted.
Staffing levels haven't been hit as hard by the flu as the student population has, Johnston said.
Regardless, EIPS schools are expected to submit by the end of the week pandemic business impact and succession of delegation templates, according to EIPS spokesperson Karen Sand.
She also said EIPS has a full roster of substitutes it can utilize, if needed.
"We're just keeping that list as full as we can to make sure we have the substitutes on hand if we do need them," she said.
Additionally, Sand said the level of student transportation services hasn't been impacted by the spreading illness, either.
Johnston said there have been no reported cases of H1N1 thus far this week. She said the fall break last week might have provided enough time for ill students to recuperate without the risk of coming to school while contagious.
The decision by EIPS to release the percentages of student absenteeism was made in light of ongoing public and media demand.
"We're (compiling the information) anyway, so we thought we might as well just pull it all together on a weekly basis," she said.
mdimassa@sherwoodparknews.com
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