No mask mandate for Alberta schools for now: education minister
Posted Nov 16, 2022 5:08 pm.
Last Updated Nov 16, 2022 5:44 pm.
Alberta’s education minister says masking in schools will continue to be a personal choice for each person, but adds she would take advice from the province’s new chief medical health officer Wednesday.
The Edmonton public school board has asked Alberta Health and Alberta Education whether it can require masks as schools deal with a wave of viral illnesses that is sending thousands of students home sick.
Education Minister Adriana LaGrange was asked about the request several times during a news conference Wednesday.
She says students and staff are welcome to wear masks if they want to but the government doesn’t anticipate bringing in a mandate, saying “there is not a one-size-fits-all for this situation.”
“We’re going to continue to monitor the situation. Of course, we’ll take guidance from the new chief medical officer of health, and beyond that, we will continue to ensure that our schools and our staff members are protected through whatever possibilities there are out there,” LaGrange said.
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“We’ve seen through the disruptions that the mental health and wellness of our students have been negatively affected. So of course, we want to keep our students in the classroom learning.”
But the Edmonton school board says missing school and worrying about getting sick can also affect a student’s mental health.
Saying schools have the power to “prevent and or to slow down” transmission in their buildings, LaGrange referred districts to provincial guidelines for more guidance.
“Obviously, school authorities have been dealing with outbreaks, ever since schools were first in place. That is something that is very known to school authorities. And we have been very clear that we do not anticipate going to a masking mandate,” LaGrange said.
“If people feel more comfortable — whether it’s staff or students, or parents — with children and staff members wearing masks, they of course can make that personal decision for themselves.”
Alberta’s new chief medical officer of health on mask use
Dr. Mark Joffe, who was appointed chief medical officer of health earlier this week, hasn’t been made available to comment on the respiratory viruses that are also straining hospitals.
However, Joffe released a statement Wednesday afternoon regarding the spike in illnesses in the province, saying winter is “historically the peak season” for the flu and other respiratory diseases.
He adds influenza can have a severe impact on the elderly.
“While most children, youth, and adults recover from the flu without complications, some can get very sick and need to be treated in hospital,” Joffe said. “We are monitoring the situation carefully.
“The province continues to transition back to longstanding practices to manage respiratory infections in general. That includes local public health officials notifying schools of outbreaks and giving them advice and support as needed,” Joffe added.
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Joffe also recommended mask use, though he did not address masking in schools.
“Wearing a well-fitting, high-quality mask can help reduce the risk of becoming sick and help protect others from being exposed,” he said.
“Albertans should be supported regardless of their choice to mask or not.”
In addition to masking, he recommends staying home when sick, avoiding contact with those who are ill, practicing good hygiene, covering coughs and sneezing, limiting “time spent in crowded indoor places,” and disinfecting high-touch surfaces at home when someone’s under the weather.
He is also encouraging Albertans to “stay up to date” on vaccinations and to reach out to health care providers for their options.
Premier Danielle Smith has consistently slammed the use of masks in schools, saying they have had a negative effect on mental health development and student education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Smith did, however, tell reporters Monday in Sherwood Park that masking is a personal choice and she respects people’s right to use them.
“Anyone who feels comfortable to wear a mask should wear a mask. That should be a personal choice,” Smith said.
“But we are not going to be mandating masks. We heard loud and clear from parents that they want a normal school environment for their kids, and we are going to let kids be kids.”
Alberta NDP slams UCP
NDP Leader Rachel Notley has said parents and school boards are seeking leadership and guidance from Smith’s United Conservative government but are getting chaos.
“What we’ve got here is nothing but confusion and distraction and an abdication of responsibility by our provincial government,” Notley said.
She said Joffe is doing his job on top of his existing responsibilities as a senior leader with Alberta Health Services.
“[Joffe’s] not actually even being paid to do the job and he’s still doing his other complete job, so that sounds to me like we’ve got a government that doesn’t really value that role.”
Notley says while Joffe is officially tasked with setting public health policy, Smith is assembling a parallel team of medical professionals to advise her on public health.
Smith recently said she wants to hear from Dr. Paul Alexander, a controversial COVID-19 critic who has argued for herd immunity and has called COVID vaccines a “bioweapon.”
“What the UCP, therefore, has created is a mess and a vacuum (of authority),” said Notley. “Danielle Smith seems most interested in talking to conspiracy theorists.”
Alberta school absences amid spike in respiratory illnesses
This comes as Alberta schools are seeing high rates of absenteeism due to the wave of illnesses like RSV, the flu, and COVID-19 sweeping across the province.
The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) said on Monday that around 12 per cent of K -12 students and nearly seven per cent of teachers are missing school.
Edmonton Public Schools reports around 13 per cent of students in its district are absent due to illnesses, while 0.08 per cent are absent “likely due to COVID-19.”
Meanwhile, the Calgary Catholic School District says that 28 per cent of its 110 schools, or around 30 schools, are reporting over 10 per cent of their students are absent due to illness.
If a school experiences higher than 10 per cent absenteeism, AHS is then notified and works with the school to provide a letter and information directly to families.
The CBE says 15 per cent of its schools, which is around 36 schools, have exceeded 10 per cent. It adds more than 15 of its 250 schools have had outbreaks.
-With files from Colette Derworiz and Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press
