The safety of students and staff is the top priority for the Palliser School Division. We want to provide our school communities and staff with information on updated health measures as provided by the Government of Alberta. On February 8, 2022, the Premier announced steps to begin relaxing COVID-19 protocols in 3 stages. Details on the steps are available here and we have included important information below.
The Division will continue to follow all provincial health mandates, as expressed in the guiding documents for education. This has been the case since the beginning of the pandemic. With that in mind, the Premier and Minister of Education made it clear in the press conference and in writing that school divisions do not have the authority to require masks for children and youth in grades K-12 as of Monday, February 14. Division schools will follow the direction from the province. At this time, masks are still required for adults and staff. The Board and Division staff members strongly embrace inclusive schools and can assure all parents and students that the choice to continue to wear a mask will be supported.
The expectations for children to stay home when sick and mandatory isolation are still in place, and you can refer to our Stay at Home Guide for students and families to understand when your child needs to stay home and for how long. We are continuing to provide COVID-19 cases and student absence data for your child’s school on our Palliser website.
As was indicated in the Government's announcement yesterday, we expect to receive additional direction on Step 2 which will further ease COVID-19 measures on March 1, 2022. We will continue to promptly share information of any changes on restrictions with families.
To read the copy of the letter sent to all families on February 9 click HERE.