Three schools in Penticton have reached an attendance threshold that Interior Health is reviewing.
Uplands Elementary was the first to send the letter home to parents and last Friday, Jan. 14. letters were sent home for Penticton Secondary and Princess Margaret Secondary which also saw attendance drop below the threshold.
According to the well-known Facebook group BC School COVID trackers,a letter was sent home to Uplands families which read “based on the review of attendance patterns, we have reached a threshold this past week that means that both SD67 and Interior Health officials are involved in monitoring school attendance to determine if further actions are needed.”
A next step could include a temporary closure of the school but the letters sent to the three schools promised to update parents if additional actions are required.
The school district then asked parents to continue to contact the school office when a child is away and indicate if they should be marked excused ill or absent for another reason.
Schools do not require parents and caregivers to disclose if a student is away because of having COVID-19.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced on Jan. 7 that B.C. would no longer be tracking COVID exposures in school and making them public because of the fast spread of Omicron. Instead, districts would monitor staff and student attendance levels, she said.
The Facebook group BC School COVID Trackers said it continues to post information about COVID outbreaks in schools and daycares across B.C. if it has documented proof.
READ MORE: B.C. families rely on Facebook group to track COVID