Parents, students and staff have an understandable interest in knowing when a positive case of COVID-19 has been identified in their school.
In alignment with the
Ministry of Education Guidelines, this page will be updated on a continuous basis with information concerning confirmed cases of COVID-19 involving a student or a staff member at NPSC.
If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 that involves a student or a staff member in a school setting, NPSC will notify parents immediately and post this information below.
Please note that a positive case at the school does not mean the individual was exposed to COVID-19 at the school. They may have been exposed somewhere else in the community.
If the Health Unit orders that a class, cohort or school should be closed for a period of time, parents/guardians, students and staff will be notified and this information will also be posted on this page.
2021-2022
Terminology:
Active Cases: Cases are those that have received a positive COVID-19 test who are a student or staff member of a school in the NPSC and still have the possibility of being infectious.
Resolved Cases: The person is no longer considered infectious, as per direction from the Health Unit and the Ministry of Health clearance criteria.
Visit
Ontario's website to learn about COVID-19 Cases in Ontario Schools and Child Care Centres in our province.
What would happen in the event of a positive case?
In the event of a confirmed positive case of COVID-19, NPSC will be notified by the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit (Health Unit) that a member of a specific school community has tested positive for COVID-19.
The Health Unit is responsible for determining if an outbreak exists, declaring an outbreak, providing direction on outbreak control measures to be implemented, and determining when the outbreak is declared over. The Health Unit will assist in determining which cohort(s) may be sent home or if a partial or full school closure is required based on the scope of the outbreak. It is important to note that a confirmed case at a school does not mean the individual was exposed to COVID-19 at the school. The individual may have been exposed elsewhere in the community.
The Health Unit will conduct contact tracing and reach out to individuals who may have been in close contact with the individual who tested positive. This includes contact tracing for points of contact in the classroom, school, bus, before and after school programs, etc. NPSC will work closely with the Health Unit to provide key information that is needed for contact tracing (e.g., attendance records, class list and seating charts, up to date contact information for parents, staff and students, etc.) We strongly encourage all families contacted by the Health Unit, to follow the directions provided by our local health authorities.
A reminder that families are required to use the
self-assessment tool created by the Ontario government before arriving at school each day.
If you are instructed to seek testing for COVID-19, please visit
an assessment centre. If you need further assistance, call your health care provider or the Health Unit at 1-800-563-2808. If you have severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call 911 and mention your symptoms.
You can find more information on schools and COVID-19 on the
Health Unit website.
For reasons of privacy, NPSC will minimize sharing personal information about any case and will direct others to avoid identifying individuals.