100 students at Sackville school absent, parents urged to keep sick kids home
Absenteeism up overall across the province in October, compared to previous 3 years, data shows
A hundred students at Marshview Middle School in Sackville were absent one day this week, mostly due to illness, according to a note sent home to parents urging them to keep sick children home.
"We know that many families are dealing with illness right now. We wanted to let you know you are not alone," wrote principal Heather Dixon.
Of the school's 309 students, 100 — a third — were absent Monday, she said.
"While we don't know the reason behind every absence, the majority were coded illness," according to the note, a copy of which was obtained by CBC News.
"Please take precautionary steps to keep your children healthy, and if they are not, remain home so our community can weather this storm."
Doctors worried about triple threat
Dixon's plea comes as the province faces a triple threat of respiratory viruses that has doctors concerned.
Earlier this month, Dr. Yves Léger, acting chief medical officer of health, said the large number of children falling ill to respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and an early increase in the flu, combined with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is "worrisome."
He said schools and workplaces would feel the impact through increased absenteeism and rising cases would add further strain on the health-care system. He urged people to help change the course of how the tridemic unfolds and get "back to basics," such as masking in indoor public places and staying home when sick.
No one knows how many New Brunswick students, teachers or other education staff are going to school sick with COVID-19 or other respiratory illness.
The Department of Education has student attendance data for October, the latest figures available, which shows absenteeism was up slightly overall across the province compared to the same time during the previous two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the year before.
But the reason or reasons for the increase are unclear.
A student could be absent for many reasons including dental and medical appointments, sickness or personal/family reasons and matters related to COVID-19.- Morgan Bell, Department of Education
The data, supplied by the anglophone and francophone sectors, does not identify why a student is absent, noted department spokesperson Morgan Bell.
"A student could be absent for many reasons including dental and medical appointments, sickness or personal/family reasons and matters related to COVID-19," she said in an emailed statement.
The districts are responsible for tracking the causes of absences for students and staff, Bell said.
When asked for a breakdown of how many absences would be attributed to COVID, compared to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the flu or colds, however, the four anglophone districts told CBC they don't track that information.
Asked roughly how many students and staff are going to school sick with COVID and other respiratory illnesses, all four districts said they don't track that either.
"We would have no way to reliably ascertain this," Jessica Hanlon, spokesperson for Anglophone School District — South, said in an email.
Average days missed
The attendance data simply compares the average number of days an individual student would have been absent from class by district in October 2022, compared to October 2021, October 2020 and October 2019
In the anglophone sector, students in kindergarten to Grade 8 missed an average of 1.9 days in October, up from 1.8 days last year, 1.4 days the previous year, and 1.1 days the year before that.
Among students in grades 9 to 12, the average number of days absent was 2.5 in October, up from 2.4 in 2021, 1.9 in 2020, and 1.9 in 2019.
In the francophone sector, students in kindergarten to Grade 8 missed an average of 1.1 days in October, the same as in 2021, up from 0.8 in 2020, and from 0.6 in 2019.
Students in grades 9 to 12 were absent an average of 1.6 days in October, up from 1.5 days, 0.8 days and 1.2 days respectively.
Absenteeism rates for individual schools in October were not provided, but the data was broken down by district, and is included at the bottom of this story.
Guidance on testing positive
Asked what is being communicated to parents whose children test positive for COVID-19, and what guidance they're being given about their child's return to school, and whether masks are recommended, the Department of Education spokesperson said families are encouraged to follow Public Health advice as outlined online.
The government's COVID-19 website encourages people who test positive to stay home and work from home "if possible, while sick, until your symptoms improve, you have been fever-free for 24 hours, you have been diarrhea and vomit-free for 48 hours."
Once people leave their home, they're encouraged to "wear a multi-layer well-fitting mask, physical distance from others as best as possible, avoid gatherings, and avoid visiting vulnerable individuals or settings," such as long-term care homes and hospitals, for at least five days, or 10 days for those who are immunocompromised.
Given the anticipated increase in COVID and other respiratory virus activity in the coming months, CBC asked whether the Department of Education will ask students and staff to mask again, and what other steps it's taking or recommendations it's making to schools. Bell did not respond directly.
"Processes are in place to ensure schools and districts work directly with their regional Public Health authorities to manage communicable diseases or report exceptional rates of absenteeism," she said.
"We continue to work with partners across the education system to monitor the impact of communicable diseases, including COVID-19, in schools from a global level and we follow the guidance of Public Health."
Asked about masking, the anglophone districts said they continue to follow the guidelines of the department and Public Health.
"Although there is no mask mandate in our province, and masks are not required in our schools, some students and staff choose to wear masks based on their level of risk or concern. We support and encourage this," said Anglophone School District - West spokesperson Jennifer Read.
The districts shared COVID-19 health and safety tips with families at the start of the school year. These encouraged proactive health measures, such as frequent hand washing and sanitizing, coughing and sneezing into their elbow, monitoring for symptoms of illness, and staying home when sick.
Increase in outdoor learning
ASD-W continues to make masks and hand sanitizer available to its schools, noted Read, and both it and Anglophone School District - South recently offered the flu shot to all school staff.
Both of these districts have also been using outdoor learning.
In ASD-W, "many" schools are using outdoor learning spaces — "whether a formalized structure, a designated area or an open concept, allowing students to be outside in the fresh air with room to separate," said Read.
Outdoor learning is part of ASD-S's district improvement plan, according to spokesperson Hanlon. It has created a health and outdoor learning coach position this year to assist teachers "in connecting curriculum to learning outdoors and becoming more comfortable teaching in outdoor spaces," she said.
"Outdoor learning will continue to be a focus going forward and many schools are investing in outdoor spaces and resources."
Anglophone School District - East
K-8 students:
- October 2022 — 1.8 days
- October 2021 — 2.0 days
- October 2020 — 1.6 days
- October 2019 — 1.1 days
Grades 9-12:
- October 2022 — 2.3 days
- October 2021 — 2.2 days
- October 2020 — 1.2 days
- October 2019 — 1.6 days
Anglophone School District - North
K-8 students:
- October 2022 — 1.9 days
- October 2021 — 2.2 days
- October 2020 — 2.1 days
- October 2019 — 1.2 days
Grades 9-12:
- October 2022 — 2.6 days
- October 2021 — 2.7 days
- October 2020 — 1.7 days
- October 2019 — 2.2 days
Anglophone School District - South
K-8 students:
- October 2022 — 1.9 days
- October 2021 — 1.6 days
- October 2020 — 1.1 days
- October 2019 — 1.1 days
Grades 9-12:
- October 2022 — 2.6 days
- October 2021 — 2.3 days
- October 2020 — 2.4 days
- October 2019 — 2 days
Anglophone School District - West
K-8 students:
- October 2022 — 1.8 days
- October 2021 — 1.8 days
- October 2020 — 1.2 days
- October 2019 — 1.2 days
Grades 9-12:
- October 2022 — 2.5 days
- October 2021 — 2.6 days
- October 2020 — 1.9 days
- October 2019 — 2 days
Francophone School District - North East
K-8 students:
- October 2022 — 1.1 days
- October 2021 — 1.2 days
- October 2020 — 1 day
- October 2019 — 0.7 days
Grades 9-12:
- October 2022 — 1.9 days
- October 2021 — 2.0 days
- October 2020 — 1.1 days
- October 2019 — 1.5 days
Francophone School District - North West
K-8 students:
- October 2022 — 1 day
- October 2021 — 1.5 days
- October 2020 — 0.8 days
- October 2019 — 0.6 days
Grades 9-12:
- October 2022 — 1.4 days
- October 2021 — 1.5 days
- October 2020 — 0.8 days
- October 2019 — 1 day
Francophone School District - South
K-8 students:
- October 2022 — 1.2 days
- October 2021 — 1 day
- October 2020 — 0.8 days
- October 2019 — 0.6 days
Grades 9-12:
- October 2022 — 1.4 days
- October 2021 — 1.3 days
- October 2020 — 0.7 days
- October 2019 — 1.1 days
"Data may not be complete at time of analysis, which affects the reliability of the data," the attendance reports from the department, based on data as of Nov. 21, state.
"Attendance-taking practices may differ by district, which affects the reliability and comparability of the data. This should be considered as an estimate," they say.