A quarter of the student body at Holy Spirit Catholic School was reported absent due to illness Wednesday, Jan. 26 and today (Jan. 27), causing the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) to shut its doors and make the shift to online learning.
A letter sent from the school to students' parents and guardians earlier today indicated the building would close effective Jan. 28, with all classes moving online until in-person learning can continue Feb. 7.
The school district mandates that all schools reporting 25 per cent absence rates due to illness or medical reasons must close and move to online learning for 10 days to prevent the spread of germs.
"The Calgary Catholic School District is using a 25 per cent absenteeism rate, in addition to consultation with the school and area director, to initiate the transition to emergency learning at home for 10 calendar days," reads a statement from CCSD.
The school district also told the Eagle that that were already no classes planned for Jan. 28 and Jan. 31 in lieu of parent/teacher conferences and a professional growth day, which results in 4 missed days of in-person learning.
Calgary Catholic Schools has reported 24 active cases of COVID-19 at Holy Spirit in the last 10 days. St. Timothy's High School is currently reporting 5 active cases from the same time period.
According to the letter, janitorial staff will work diligently over the next few days to clean the entire school, including sanitizing door handles and all flat surfaces.
At-home learning instructions for parents are expected to follow.
