ROSETOWN - Effective Wednesday, September 15, 2021, Sun West School Division enacted revisions to its Safe Schools Plan in response to the increasing health risk to students, staff and visitors in Sun West schools caused by COVID-19.
The key change to the Plan is that masking is now required of all students, staff and visitors while indoors as well as on buses. The revised Safe Schools Plan is posted on the Sun West website and can be found here:https://www.sunwestsd.ca/blog/2021/08/31/revised-safe-schools-plan.
Sun West has been clear that the Plan would be adjusted if there were changes in conditions or new information. Since the start of school there has been both. The following were considered prior to the changes effective today:
· Last year COVID-19 cases resulted in 12 instances where Sun West schools or classes were moved to home learning and in only nine days this year there has already been six similar instances in five schools.
· We are currently experiencing the fourth wave of COVID-19 and provincial and national modelling indicates it will be the worst yet. The number of new cases in Saskatchewan continues to grow faster than any other time during the pandemic.
· Public health orders have been made to address the risk caused by the increased pressure on the health care system.
· Masking requirements allow Sun West to continue offering extracurricular activities and other engaging opportunities to students while still reducing the risk of outbreaks in schools.
Masking is the most significant way the Division can increase the safety of students, staff and community members under current conditions.
