Parents express relief as F.W. Begley reopens after COVID-19 outbreak

After three weeks, Frank W. Begley Public School in Windsor is reopening for some students on Wednesday, and parents who spoke with CBC News are expressing confidence in the school's ability to keep children safe from COVID-19.

Gerard Gutierrez, parent of junior kindergarten student Nico Gutierrez, praised the efforts of the school.

"There's always a standard level of safety that we always have to exercise ... but I think the school did a great job and I'm comfortable with the precautions they're taking," he said.

Parent Stephanie Walsh says she's "not concerned at all" about the safety of students moving forward.

"I've got three autoimmunes. So I don't leave my house at all — and I have no concern whatsoever."

An outbreak was declared on Nov. 17 and the school was shut down. In total, 49 people — 40 students and nine staff — tested positive for COVID-19.

The return to the classroom is being staggered by grade, starting with Kindergarten and Grade 1 students. 

The last students to resume in-class lessons are the Grade 7 and 8s, who will be returning on Monday.

The school's closure affected 391 students who had been attending in-person classes, a further 146 students were already learning remotely.

A spokesperson for the public board said mental-health resources have been created especially for students upon their return.

"They focus on safety, feeling part of the school again, feelings, skills and strategies to address their feelings," a spokesperson for the Greater Essex County District School Board said in a statement on Monday.

Mandatory mask measure fails

Meanwhile, an attempt to have the Greater Essex County District School Board make masks mandatory for all students failed Tuesday night after the motion was ruled out of order.

But confusion over the state of the motion and procedural ruling meant there was still speakers heard on it before the trustees were told the item was off the agenda.

The motion, brought forward by Greater Essex County District School Board trustee Julia Burgess, sought to have all students, not just those in grades 4 and up as mandated by the province, wear masks. A similar motion had been made and turned down in August, just prior to the start of the 2020 school year. 

COVID-19 and students

There are currently 67 COVID-19 cases within the public school board and 19 active within the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board.

The outbreak at Begley is no longer considered active by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. Two other schools in the region are in outbreak but remain open. A fourth school that had an outbreak, W.J. Langlois Catholic Elementary, reopened on Monday after being shut down in late November.