WCPS Letter to Parents/Guardians: At Home Learning Shift - Criteria and Guidelines

Dear Parents/Guardians: 

With cases of COVID-19 and the variants of COVID-19 rising across the province, you have certainly heard that many schools in different parts of Alberta have shifted to online, at-home learning from in-school instruction. I wanted to write to you to give you a sense of how such decisions are made, and the criteria that goes into making those decisions. 

You may know that such a decision has been made at times at specific schools in Wolf Creek, when the need has arisen. Those decisions are not made by the school division or the school on its own. During the COVID-19 pandemic, to shift a school division to at-home learning, school divisions have to specifically make the request to Alberta Education based on a number of considerations, which include:

• The school authority is experiencing chronic substitute teacher shortages preventing multiple schools from continuing in-class learning.
• A significant number of students and staff are in quarantine or isolation preventing numerous schools in the school authority from continuing in-class learning.
• The number of recent requests made from their school authority for short-term shifts for a number of their schools, signalling an incremental approach was taken prior to requesting an approach for the entire school authority.
• A substantial number of COVID-19 cases are present in the community/region based on Alberta Health data. 

We know there is significant concern in many of our communities over the rise of case numbers. Our priority is the health and safety of students and staff through what has been a very challenging school year for everyone. We also continue to closely monitor each school’s circumstances and work with Alberta Education when further measures are required on a school-by-school basis. 

In Wolf Creek Public Schools, we track active cases on our websites. There is a bell in the top right side of the division website at www.wolfcreek.ab.ca. That bell indicates how many sites in the division have one or more COVID-19 cases associated in individuals there. The system on the website colour indicates whether there are 1-4 cases, 5 or more, or if other measures have been taken. For each case listed, please know it also means that school staff have responded quickly in contact tracing, notifying families and providing quarantine information to close contacts.  

We want you to know we recognize the stress and concern felt this school year, as we too feel it at the school level. Our commitment is to continue to be open with you and the community, respond quickly and make the best decisions to continue to support student learning in class or at home. 

Sincerely, 

Jayson Lovell, 

Superintendent