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Entire Edmonton Catholic elementary school moves to online learning after COVID-19 cases

St. Francis of Assisi Elementary in northeast Edmonton pictured on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. Wes Rosa, Global News

All of the students at a Catholic elementary school in northeast Edmonton will shift to online learning beginning Friday, after the entire teaching staff went into self-isolation following a meeting last week.

Last week, St. Francis of Assisi Elementary in the Balwin neighbourhood held an in-person staff meeting with 22 teaching staff members in attendance, a spokesperson for Edmonton Catholic Schools said Thursday.

The school district said physical distancing, proper use of PPE, proper hand hygiene and school protocols were maintained during the staff meeting.

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Despite this, one of the teachers who was in attendance, and two other staff members who were not at the meeting, have since tested positive for COVID-19.

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As a result, the entire teaching staff is now isolating as a precaution.

About 254 students will now shift from in-person classes to remote learning beginning Friday morning. In-person classes are set to resume for students on Monday, Nov. 23, according to the school district.

“Pivoting to online learning is a necessary measure to prevent further spread of COVID-19 and to ensure a safe and uninterrupted learning environment for students,” ECS spokesperson Lori Nagy said in a statement.

“A letter was sent to parents late yesterday, asking parents to monitor their children for any signs or symptoms of COVID-19. Today, substitute teachers are working with the staff in isolation to ensure that in-person learning continues on-site and tomorrow classes will continue online for all students.”

Nagy said about 50 students from the school were already learning through the remote, online option.

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