W. J. Langlois cleared to reopen Monday after COVID-19 shutdown

Two weeks after experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, 252 students will return to W. J. Langlois Catholic Elementary school at the start of next week, the board said in a news release Friday. 

The school, located in Windsor's Fontainbleu neighbourhood, was closed since Nov. 20 after a COVID-19 outbreak was declared. At its peak, the outbreak had seven confirmed cases — three students and four staff members. 

"I'm confident in what our staff was doing, we were following our provincial guidelines ... even Dr. Ahmed indicated that he was confident with what we were doing in our school," W. J. Langlois principal Kelly Bull told CBC News Friday. "That being said we always revisit our protocol, there's always room for having conversations and making sure that we are still adhering to all of the measures taking place." 

Though the outbreak is technically considered over on Dec. 8, the board said the health unit gave them the all clear to return a day early. 

In a news release Friday, the board said that prior to having students return, it fulfilled the following measures:

• Reviewed all safety measures in consultation with the health unit and the Ontario Ministry of Labour. 
• Thoroughly cleaned and sanitized the entire school. 
• Created a plan to actively screen all students and staff before they return to school on Monday. 

"I cant really say we're going to do anything different. We're going to remain diligent and make sure we are meeting the needs of our kids and our environment to keep everybody safe," Bull said. 

The board said students and staff have already been made aware of this information. 

The health unit will also be sending a nurse to the school on Monday when students return. 

Looking back, Bull said it all happened in a flash but she's satisfied with the way her team reacted. 

"I feel like everything, it happens fast and furious ... everything happened very quickly ... [our] response rate was fantastic ... we handled it very well in the midst of a crisis, moving into isolation and keeping our kids learning," she said.

"I would have to say lesson learned you work with your partners and move forward one step at a time." 

Corpus Christi Catholic Middle School – Central Park Athletics Campus is the only other Catholic school experiencing an outbreak. The school remains open, but there is an active classroom outbreak. 

Meanwhile, F.W. Begley, a public school in the Walkerville area, that was declared to be in outbreak the same week as Langlois, remains closed.