Parents claim COVID-19 spreading at North Shore school with little information

NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Frustration is building among parents of kids at a school on the North Shore as COVID-19 cases emerge with seemingly little communication or action from health officials.

As of Monday, families at Capilano Elementary have been told by the school that several parents have informed staff their child has tested positive for the virus while unvaccinated staff and students in two classrooms have been told to self-isolate by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH).

But parents and others in the community who have been sharing information with each other — including their child’s positive test results — believe the problem is more widespread.

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“I know for sure there are at least 15 positive cases spread over four grades but I also know the number is higher than that, I just can’t confidently say exactly what it is,” said Coralynn Gehl, who manages a Facebook page where exposure notices, school letters and positive results are being shared.

“A letter was sent by the school on Friday, claiming there were seven cases. Since then, I’ve got numerous calls from parents over the weekend who’s kids have tested positive,” she said.

Indeed, in its most recent letter to families sent on Sunday, the school confirmed more parents had come forward since Friday to say their kid has tested positive but it didn’t specify how many.

Gehl says the discrepancy between what parents know and what health officials are saying has families feeling like they can’t count on health officials for the latest information.

“School administrators are doing the absolute best they can but they’re really hamstrung as far as how much information they can share. They’re not allowed to share any information that they’re not given permission by Vancouver Coastal Health to share,” added Gehl.

On Tuesday, VCH told NEWS 1130 school notification updates will be in place “early this week,” pointing to Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry’s announcement last week that it is re-implementing notifications when a child tests positive for COVID-19. At that time, she said her aim was to have the system up and running by the end of that week.

The move came after an outcry from several B.C. parents. Henry had said she has recognized “parents do need an authoritative source to have an understanding of what’s happening in their children’s schools.”

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VCH says when it is notified of a positive case in a student or school staff member, Public Health does an investigation “as efficiently as possible,” adding it usually takes place within 24 hours. It says that process identifies everyone the person was in contact with.

The health authority says if someone who tested positive for COVID-19 went to school while they were infectious, Public Health works with the school to notify contacts and tell them what they should do next.

“Depending on their level of contact with the person who tested positive, this could include directions to self-monitor for symptoms and get tested if symptoms arise, or to self-isolate at home for close contacts,” reads the statement from VCH.

On its website, the health authority confirms not every exposure means the virus is spreading at a school.

“Exposures occur when a case of COVID-19 was present in school during their infectious period. In the vast majority of cases, there is no transmission in the school setting. The majority of COVID-19 transmission is within households and social networks outside of school.”

As for timing, the health authority says officials begin contact tracing right after finding out about a positive test result with investigations typically complete with 24 hours but it adds “because the person with COVID-19 is usually already self-isolating and not attending school, the last exposure may be several days ago.”

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Taking matters into their own hands, parents are sharing information as soon as possible on social media while some are even keeping their child at home because of the situation.

“I’ve been blown away by how many parents contact me right away, basically while they’re still reeling from the shock that they’ve gotten a positive diagnosis for their child. But it feels like one of the first things they feel is a priority is letting the rest of the community know that there are more cases,” Gehl said.

In the letter sent to families on Sunday, the school says after reviewing its communicable disease prevention and exposure control measure, it has implemented enhanced measures, which includes spreading students apart as much as possible.

With files from Nikitha Martins, Sonia Aslam, and Martin MacMahon

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