All School District 8 staff will be required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination as of March 11.

If they donsa国际传媒檛, the district will require them to undergo regular rapid testing or be put on unpaid leave. Students wonsa国际传媒檛 be required to submit their vaccination status.

The districtsa国际传媒檚 board of trustees voted in favour of the plan in an in-camera meeting Jan. 18, and announced it Thursday. The decision makes SD8, which includes schools in the Nelson and Creston areas, the third district in B.C. to require proof of vaccination from staff after previous announcements in Delta and Revelstoke.

An order issued Monday by public health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry gave health authorities the option to ask districts for the vaccination status of staff.

SD8 superintendent Trish Smillie said Thursday the district has not yet received that request from Interior Health. Its plan, she said, is a proactive measure meant to protect staff and students from the virus.

Part of the districtsa国际传媒檚 dilemma, Smillie said, is staff who take sick days currently donsa国际传媒檛 have to disclose if they have COVID-19.

sa国际传媒淲e have staff absences that we believe are reflective of the illness,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淲e donsa国际传媒檛 know if thatsa国际传媒檚 COVID or not. At this point we have been very fortunate to remain open at all of our sites.sa国际传媒�

Smillie could not yet say how often unvaccinated staff would be required to undergo rapid testing sa国际传媒� she said that will be guided by the BC Public School Employerssa国际传媒� Association sa国际传媒� or who will pay for the tests. Consultation on the specifics of the plan, she said, is still underway with unions and the districtsa国际传媒檚 Indigenous partners.

The order comes as Omicron has led to a surge in local COVID-19 cases.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BC CDC) announced Wednesday that the Nelson area, which includes Salmo and parts of the Slocan Valley, had during the week of Jan. 9 to 15.

That number is likely inaccurate due to the BC CDCsa国际传媒檚 recommendation that only people with COVID-19 symptoms who are also at risk of severe disease, or those who work in high-risk settings such as health care, should get tested.

Meanwhile, itsa国际传媒檚 unclear how many staff and students have become infected since schools reopened Jan. 10.

Parents from nine Nelson-area schools have also received letters from principals alerting them to attendance numbers that require a public health investigation, but no schools have been closed.

The Ministry of Education has stated functional closures will be considered if a schoolsa国际传媒檚 attendance drops 10 per cent below historical norms, or if fewer than 75 per cent of students in a grade are in present.

Smillie said parents have so far been supportive of staff since schools reopened.

sa国际传媒淲e just need to be compassionate towards each other as we go forward and continue working on our health and safety to keep each other safe and to care about the well being of others.sa国际传媒�

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| tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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