Notice to Parents: Apr 12, 2021
Official COVID-19 Announcement Protocols; April 12, 2021
View Apr. 12, 2021 TLA News (PDF)
Official COVID-19 Announcement Protocols
April 12, 2021, St. Julius I, Pope
Good Morning TLA Parents,
There has been significant discussion amongst our TLA families about Covid-19 in the last 12
hours, and it is important that I write to you about the issue as it pertains to school.
The protocol for announcing Covid-19 infections is very specific and has been dictated by the
Fraser Health Authority, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education,
and with the Catholic Schools of Vancouver Archdiocese. The process begins when a positive
test result is reported directly to Fraser Health by the testing facility. Fraser Health then carries
out an investigation and begins contact tracing. After that, and only when it is deemed necessary
by the health authority, schools are contacted, the situation is explained to us, and formal notices
are provided for distribution to all staff and families. Once this formal contact has been received
from the Health Authority, school staff may discuss the issue with families, but in those
discussions, particular names of the students or staff involved are not included. A report must be
completed by the school and submitted to our fellow Federation of Independent Schools
Associations members and to the Independent Schools department of the Ministry of Education.
Privacy policy regarding medical information is very strict, and we are bound to respect those
protocols. In our small school community, word travels very quickly through the grapevine. In
the climate of Covid-19, this is an inappropriate and unsettling way of disseminating sensitive
information and it can cause significant and unnecessary upset amongst the school community.
In the instance when a Covid-19 Exposure Notification from Fraser Health is received by the
school, we will then be in a position to issue instructions regarding the status of in-class
instruction. This may continue as normal, be modified to a “hybrid” model, or, in the case of a
severe situation, return to the “virtual classroom”. As we have been in all of these situations
before, the implementation of any change is anticipated to be fairly routine.
Please be assured that any Covid-19 notifications from Fraser Health will be announced to
families in as prompt a manner as possible. These official notifications should be considered to
be the only reliable source of information.
Yours sincerely,
Martin Dale
TLA Coquitlam
