Illness-related school absences down in Kingston, Ont., according to school board

It’s been volatile first few months of the school year for parents and students alike.

Fluctuating cases of COVID-19, the arrival of influenza season and the reemergence of RSV has played havoc on attendance.

However, some relatively good news has arrived ahead of the holiday break, according to Patty Gollogly, superintendent of Safe and Caring Schools for the Limestone District School Board.

“In the last two weeks, we’re actually seeing a stabilization and we’re starting to see an actual decrease in absences due to illnesses,” said Gollogly.

Gollogly’s assessment is based off data the school board collects through its illness-related absence dashboard.

Parents voluntarily report their child’s absence as illness related.

“We started to see a spike, a range around four weeks ago where we started to see a spike,” Gollogly told Global Kingston.

The news of the stabilization of respiratory viruses locally is backed by the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington public health unit.

An email from the public health agency stated:

“Respiratory illnesses in our region continue to circulate, however local rsv and covid-19 activity has stabilized. local cases of influenza a continue to increase, with babies and children amongst those at highest risk of severe outcomes.”

The holiday break is looming, and gatherings are common over that period.

Gollogly says the school board is encouraging its students to be mindful.

“We are very much encouraging everyone to follow public health initiatives and public health suggestions, one being very much the importance of, if you are sick, to stay home,” said Gollogly.

Masking is optional at the Limestone school board and students self-screen daily for symptoms of respiratory viruses.