By JP Schwmon #SituationUpdates
Several reports detailing possible COVID-19 positive cases in at least 3 local schools have recently surfaced.
One circular, dated November 11, that was shared with Asbert News Network advised all staff of the St. Vincent Boys Grammar School “that a student of [Form] 2 Room 9 has been [sic] tested positive for COVID-19.
“Consequently all students in that [Form] has [sic] been sent home. They were asked to home-quarantine and then be tested on day 5, which will be on Tuesday 16th November 2021. In addition, according to the COVID-19 guidance for the conduct of school, [sic] unvaccinated teachers who have been in contact with the class must also home-quarantine for five (5) days.
“The teacher(s) and students will then be able to return to school on Wednesday 17th November 2021, after being cleared by a negative test result.”
In the interim, the tutors at the premier all-boys secondary educational institution are expected to “deliver online instructions to that class while the students are in quarantine.”
One staffer confirmed the situation and told ANN, anonymously: “they asked the unvaccinated teachers to be quarantined until the stipulated duration but not the vaccinated staff even though they know that vaccinated people can contract the damn virus.
“Thing is they might not be as severely affected but they can carry it to other students, no?
“And that one student interacts with persons outside of his class…so it BS cause the circle of contacts in probably untraceable.
“Its just unwarranted pressure for teachers who are adamant in their ‘no jab’ stance.”
Of the two other schools that have also reported COVID-19 positive cases, the Brighton Methodist Primary is said to have the highest infected population.
According to one source close to the developments there, “we have full school – everybody is coming to school Grades K through 6.
“Grade 1 has COVID cases, Grade 2 has COVID cases, Grade 3 has COVID cases and Grade 5 has COVID cases. So four out of the seven grades have COVID cases.
The principal there has, allegedly, been unable to make contact with her immediate superiors at the Education Ministry. Without that authority the Brighton Methodist Primary School cannot be suspended in entirety, we were reliably informed.
It was through the Principal’s vigilance, we were told, that the first symptoms were noticed.
“The Principal normally does the temperature testing on mornings at the gate and yesterday when she was doing it she realized that a child had a high temperature and she sent the child to the office.
“When she questioned the child, that child stated that an older sibling had dengue fever.”
Further investigations revealed that neither siblings were professionally diagnosed; since the parent(s) failed to turn up when called, the Principal implemented an at school quarantine. She would later instruct the children not to return to school unless they tested negatively for COVID-19 infections.
On Friday morning, according to that confidential informant, the parent called to inform the school of the positive results.
Staff at that school has also registered their concerns about the guidance for the conduct of schools policy, which apparently stipulates that only the ‘affected’ classes be quarantined.
“I sit at lunch and I watch all these children play on the playground like normal times. Everybody socializing together! So I don’t know how this is happening.”
Last Friday another circular was dispatched to parents and guardians of Fifth Graders attending the Fairhall Government School, according to an update provided on local radio.
It noted that at least one child in that class tested positive for the virus and acknowledged that others were exposed to that infected student.
Face to face instruction for that class was also suspended and replaced with online classes. While parents and guardians were urged to monitor their child(ren) or ward(s) over the weekend.
Face to face classes were set to resume once enough negative COVID-19 results are returned to the school’s management.