School Trustees Create Pledge to Combat Racism
SHARE ON: School District 79 Community Care Pledge
The Cowichan Valley School District is coming out strongly against hate of all forms and is asking members of the community to be part of the commitment.
At Tuesday night’s school board meeting, trustees signed a ‘Community of Care Pledge.’
The school board has included a link to the pledge on its website and invites the public to sign as well.
Chair Candace Spilsbury says they want to show the community the district “will stand up for what is right and we recognize the specific struggles of so many groups that have been traditionally marginalized.”
School District Seeks Public Input on School Calendars
SHARE ON: Photography by Tim Mossholder
The Cowichan Valley School District wants to hear from you as it plans a new three-year calendar for schools in the valley.
The Board is working on its school calendar for the 2021 to 2024 school years.
Board Chair Candace Spilsbury says the calendars guide overall planning for each school year and “are incredibly important documents.”
Spilsbury says they appreciate community feedback and encourage people to be heard through our survey.
The district is required to make the proposed school calendar available for public feedback at least one month before submitting it to the Ministry.
Second COVID-19 Exposures Reported at Two Secondary Schools
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Two high schools in the Cowichan Valley School District are now reporting another COVID-19 exposure in January.
Both Chemainus Secondary School and Cowichan Secondary have notified parents of the exposures, which happened late last month.
At both schools, the exposures happened on January 25, 26, 27, and 28, 2021.
Island Health says contact tracing has been done to identify the students and staff who need to isolate themselves for 14 days following the exposure dates.
A letter has been sent to all parents and staff, and Island Health is reminding families that it’s safe for their children to attend the school unless they were contacted individually and told otherwise.
COVID-19 Exposure at a School in Lake Cowichan
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Another school in the Cowichan Valley School District is dealing with a COVID-19 exposure.
On its Facebook page, Lake Cowichan Secondary School has posted the letter parents of students, as well as the staff, received from Island Health advising them of the exposure dates: January 20, 21, 23, and 25, 2021.
Island Health reports contact tracing has been done to determine who needs to self-isolate for 14 days.
Unless told otherwise, parents are still expected to send their children to school.
There have been four other schools that recently reported exposures in School District 79 during the month of January, they are Alexander Elementary, Cowichan Secondary School, Quimichan Middle School, and Chemainus Secondary School.
The province reported 500 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, including 32 in Island Health. There are 177 active cases on the Island. The central Island region which includes the Cowichan Valley, Oceanside, Nanaimo, and Alberni/Clayoquot has the most, with 132 confirmed cases. There are another 22 in the south Island, and 22 in the north. There have also been 14 new deaths, bringing to 1,104 the number of COVID-19 related fatalities since March. None of the deaths were on Vancouver Island, but Island Health confirmed that two recent deaths are linked to the outbreak at Chartwell Malaspina Care Residence in Nanaimo. Seven residents and one staff member have tested positive for COVID-19 at the facility. Island Health said there have been multiple rounds of follow-up testing on staff and residents, and no new cases have been identified since Jan. 6.