Communicable Disease Plan
Students, Staff and Visitors:
- Be Health Aware: Health awareness reduces the likelihood of a person with a communicable disease coming to school when they are infectious. This includes a person checking regularly they (or their child) are not experiencing symptoms of illness to ensure they are not coming to school when they are sick and unable to participate fully in routine activities.
- Stay Home When Sick: If you feel unwell, stay at home. Staff, students, or other persons who are exhibiting new symptoms of illness should stay home and follow public health guidance, BCCDC guidance, and/or the recommendation of their healthcare provider when they are sick.
- Respect Mask-Friendly Environments: Wearing a mask is a personal choice. Some students and staff may wear masks, and others may not. We encourage staff, students and their families to be kind, understanding and respectful of everyone’s personal choices.
- Focus on personal practices: Focus on personal practices, such as hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, personal space, and not sharing food and beverages.
SD46 continues to ensure heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are designed, operated and maintained to Occupational Health and Safety and WorkSafeBC standards.
SD46 school filters have been upgraded to MERV 13. A small number of buildings, that do not have HVAC systems, like portables, have been upgraded with air filtration and heat exchangers to bring in fresh air.
Where and when it is feasible, doors and windows will be open to provide a flow of air through spaces.
Outdoor classes will still be encouraged, based on their health and learning benefits.
BC Ministry of Education:
- December 29, 2021: Enhanced safety measures, delayed return to school to support safe, in-person learning
- October 1, 2021: Expanded health, safety measures for K-12 students
- June 17, 2021: Recovery Plan investment supports safe K-12 return
- March 29th, 2021 | Three-Week Circuit Breaker
- March 2, 2021: K-12 COVID Rapid Response Teams & Updated Daily Health Check for K-12 students
- February 4, 2021: Enhanced Safety Measures for K-12 Schools
- December 17th, 2020: Honourable Minister Jennifer Whiteside’s letter of introduction and holiday greetings for parents and caregivers.
- September 3rd, 2020: New federal funding builds on plans for a safe back to school
- August 26th, 2020: Detailed plans support safe return to classroom
- August 17, 2020: K-12 operational guidelines set requirements for masks
- August 12, 2020: Orientation Week Ensures a Safe, Ready and Welcome Return to School News Release
School District 46 – Sunshine Coast:
- March 28th, 2022: Reminder of Return from Travel Mask Requirements
- March 28th, 2022: Welcome Back! Reminder of Health and Safety Protocol Changes
- March 12, 2022: New Guidelines – Effective March 12th
- February 22, 2022: Covid-19 Health and Safety Updates
- January 7, 2022: January Restart Updates
- December 31, 2021: Delayed January 2022 Return to School
- October 6th, 2021: VCH & SD46 Expanded Mask Mandate FAQ
- September 2021: School Start up and Health and Safety Updates
- March 31, 2021: Superintendent Letter to Families
- March 10th, 2021: Superintendent’s Letter to Families
- September 24th, 2020: SD46 & VCH Town Hall Q&A Recording
- September 21st, 2020: Letter to Families re: Protocols for CV19 School Exposures
- September 11th, 2020: SD46 Superintendent’s Update
- August 27th, 2020: SD46 Options and Survey
- August 13, 2020: Superintendent’s Update: 08/13
- July 29, 2020: September Start-Up
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is intended to answer some of your questions regarding Communicable Disease Plans.
Note: The information shared here is based on the most current information we have. As more information becomes available, we will update this FAQ accordingly.
Vaccines
The COVID-19 vaccination is authorized by Health Canada for children five and older. Getting young people vaccinated helps protect them and the people around them.
It is important for families to be informed about their decision whether to vaccinate. We encourage parents to talk to their children about health-related decisions.
The Ministries of Health and Education have requested that we share with you this helpful information sheet from the BCCDC about COVID-19 vaccination for children ages 5-11: http://www.bccdc.ca/Health-Info-Site/Documents/COVID-19_vaccine/Vaccine_children_5_11.pdf
Please find below an informative presentation hosted by joint BC DPACs from Canadian Medical Association president, Dr. Katharine Smart, specifically about vaccines for children.
Public Health and Vaccination Clinics in Schools
The Inter-ministerial Protocols for the Provision of Support Services to Schools requires boards of education and participating independent school authorities to provide a designated space in each school for public health nurses or other qualified health personnel to carry out their duties, which include immunizations. This means we provide space, as well as share and distribute health information from the BC Centre of Disease Control and the Public Health Officer.
Additional information on the school district’s immunization regulation can be found SD46 Immunization Regulation 3125.
Elementary School Vaccinations:
For regular immunization elementary school clinics, the COVID-19 vaccine has been added for eligible students.
As per our regulation, we will notify parents of clinic dates through school correspondence and send individual student immunization consent form and immunization information home for a parent to sign and return.
As per our regulation, ALL vaccines for elementary students (Grades K-7, inclusive) must have parental consent.
Secondary Students:
Consents and information to families is provided, but students may self-select to receive a vaccine based on the Infants Act (Mature Minor), see below information.
Mature Minors and the Infants Act
When talking about consent it is important to note that boards of education cannot override the Infants Act. This piece of legislation is about a minor’s right to make a decision for themselves about their health, which includes decisions about medical procedures, medication and prophylaxis.
It requires that a medical professional determine a minor’s capacity to understand the consequences, potential negative outcomes as well as the intended positive outcomes of medical decisions. A school district has no authority to interfere in the right for a minor to access their own health/medical care and when required we also need to provide space for them to access medical/health services on our sites. School staff are not part of this process.
Our school district encourages parents to talk to their children about health-related decisions that impact them and weave into that conversation what their own personal family values are around these issues and where they come from. Consent forms are sent home with students to allow for parents to be aware of vaccinations offered on site and to start the conversation with their children. The consent forms indicate that a lack of a signed consent does not mean that a minor will not receive care/treatment.
Here is additional information on the Infant’s Act, Mature Minor Consent and Immunizations
COVID-19 Vaccines:
Questions regarding the safety of COVID vaccines should be addressed to the BC Centre for Disease Control or the Public Health Officer.
There is information related to vaccines for children 5-11 HERE and aged 12-17 HERE.
The BCCDC states that “Proof of vaccination will not be required for essential activities, including attending K-12 schools.”
SD46 is an inclusive district and we want all students feeling safe and included at school. We support all students by using positive and inclusive approaches. These positive and inclusive practices are to ensure all students fully participate in school without stigma. Vaccination status and health decisions are not reasons for exclusion. If you or your child are experiencing discrimination, connect with your classroom teacher and principal.
Questions
If you have questions or comments about your child’s learning, please contact their teacher. If the matter is more school related, please connect with your child’s principal. If the matter is more related to the direction of the district, please email us at questions@sd46.bc.ca. If you don’t know who to talk to, contact any of us. We are here to help! All district and school contact information is available on this site.
We will ensure commonly asked questions are shared (while protecting your personal privacy) so that we can update our FAQ and provide an answer that benefits all visitors to this page.
If you have question or concern regarding the Public Health Guidelines provided for K-12 Education, please contact:
VCH Contact: http://www.vch.ca/about-us/contact-us
BCCDC Contact: http://www.bccdc.ca/contact
Ministry of Education Contacts: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/organizational-structure/ministries-organizations/ministries/health/ministry-contacts