NOTICE TO FAMILIES OF In-Person KPDSB STUDENTS

Helpful Links:

• To view this Student Travel Advisory as a PDF, please click here.
• To access the online version of the risk assessment for students, please click here (the risk assessment should only be completed by families whose child(ren) travelled outside of the NWHU region for essential reasons)
• To access a downloadable PDF version of the student risk assessment, please click here.

Updated Travel Advisory for Students

February 26, 2021

Please be aware that we have updated our Student Travel Advisory to align with recent changes and new guidance from public health.   To view the most up-to-date travel advice from the Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU), please click on this link.

In the interest of the safety of all students and staff in our schools, we are asking families to please continue to follow the Northwestern Health Unit’s recommendations of avoiding travel.  If your child must travel, please be aware of the following information.

Effective March 1, 2021, the following travel advisory is now in place for all students learning in-person in our schools/sites.

Travel Within the Northwestern Health Unit Area

Students who have travelled within the NWHU region (English River to the Manitoba Border) can continue to attend school as usual provided they pass the Ontario School Screen each morning.  There are no additional steps required to return to school.

Travel for Essential Reasons (in Ontario or out of province)  

Please note, as per the NWHU, essential reasons for travelling may include: accessing medical services, shared parenting arrangements, palliative visits, etc.

If your child must travel outside of the Northwestern Health Unit region for essential reasons, families are asked to complete and pass a risk assessment prior to sending their child(ren) back to school.  You can find a link to the online risk assessment by clicking here.  Families also have the option of completing a paper copy of the risk assessment which can be found by clicking here (families can also request a paper copy from their child’s school prior to travelling). 

To successfully pass the risk assessment so your child may return to school following essential travel, families will need to be able to indicate they did not participate in any of the following high-risk activities either through the online risk assessment or by sending a paper copy of a completed risk assessment to school with their child.  If families are not able to successfully complete the risk assessment, the student(s) should not attend our buildings for 14 days.  

• My child did not use public transportation
• My child maintained physical distancing or used a mask when physical distancing could not be avoided
• My child avoided crowded areas
• My child did not attend noisy events or places where people are speaking loudly, as this causes people to spit when talking
• My child had limited interactions with others
• My child did not spend time in a setting that has since been declared as an outbreak or possible exposure.
• My child/family did not receive a notification of possible exposure on the COVID Alert App
• My child practiced hand hygiene

Travel for Non-Essential Reasons (in Ontario or out of province)

Please note, as per the NWHU, essential reasons for travelling may include: accessing medical services, shared parenting arrangements, palliative visits, etc.

Any student who has travelled outside of the Northwestern Health Unit region for non-essential travel should not attend our schools or buildings for 14 days upon their return to the area.  

Academic support will be provided for families whose children are not able to attend school due to this travel advisory.  If there are extenuating circumstances for your family, you are encouraged to reach out to your school principal to discuss.  

We are asking all families to please continue to be mindful that COVID-19 is still with us and that different areas of the province and the country can have different levels of the virus in the community. The health and safety of our students and staff is very important to us and that is why we are taking the protection of our staff and students from the COVID-19 virus seriously. The safest option to prevent the spread is to stay in the area of your home community or to stay in the region as per travel advisories and follow all public health protocols.

If you have any questions regarding this advisory, please reply to this email or contact your school principal.

Thank you for your assistance in protecting the health and safety of our staff and students. Your efforts during these difficult times are appreciated. 

Sincerely,                                                                      

Sherri-Lynne Pharand, Director of Education
Cecile Marcino, Chair of the Board