THUNDER BAY -- Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute and Kingsway Park Public School are going fully virtual outbreaks were declared at both south-side schools.
The board, in a letter to parents, said the decision was not taken lightly, but with more cases detected at each school over the weekend and believed to be from in-school spread, both schools will spend at least a week with students learning from home, starting on Monday.
The board says the one-week virtual learning period could be extended should circumstances warrant.
"We recognize events like this can cause significant concerns and distress for families. Working closely with public health, we will continue to monitor and address the situations at both schools until the full risk period is over," the letter reads.
Both mainstream and special needs students are affected by the decision.
Westgate already had four COVID-19 cases impacting multiple cohorts and an outbreak was declared on Friday after it was deemed that at least one of the cases was due to spread in the school.
It's the second school this month that has sent all of its students home. McKellar Park Central Public School closed all six of its cohorts after an outbreak was declared. The outbreak has since been declared to be over.
The board said not every outbreak requires students to learn virtually and that each situtation is assesses individually.
