'At a critical point': St. Albert Public Schools readies for safe return to school

A St. Albert school district is doing all it can to provide the safest return to classes for students and staff members, including purchasing N95 masks and contracting PCR testing for staff use.

According to a note sent to parents and an open letter by St. Albert Public Schools trustees, the district says it has taken "all steps available" to prepare for a "successful" return to class.

The district says it decided to use a private contractor for testing so that symptomatic staff do not have to wait for appointments through the public system.

Facilities will use MERV 13 filters, and while the province will no longer be contact tracing in schools, the school board says it will alert parents about COVID-19 cases or close contact status within a child's class or school bus. The district will also publish and update a COVID tracker on its website.

"We believe that parents need to know this information to be able to make informed decisions," the open letter said.

Once government-provided masks and testing kits are available to school authorities, the district says it will distribute them as soon as possible.

More than 98.5 per cent of division staff are fully vaccinated, and "many" have received their booster dose, St. Albert Public Schools says.

"It is important for students to be able to learn in person when possible," the board of trustees said in an open letter. "Our division has taken all available steps to enhance our students' safety while in school."

"We feel like we're at a critical point in the pandemic," said Paula Power, St. Albert Public Schools spokesperson, in a statement to CTV News. "We want to do everything we can to keep our staff safe, and our schools open."

Power said the district purchased 18,000 N95 masks for staff, with a cost of approximately $36,000.

"We've had difficulty in the past with staff illness and therefore staff shortages, and the sharp increase in COVID cases is cause for concern among school divisions and the larger community."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson