February 5th, 2021

The Ministry of Education announced, as part of enhanced safety measures for the return to in-person learning, they will now require all staff and secondary students to verify daily that they have completed the self-screening process.

As a reminder, students returning to in-person learning on Monday, February 8, 2020, are expected to continue to complete the Ontario COVID-19 School Screener daily before attending school. Those who receive the green “go to school” message may attend and those who receive the red “do not go to school” outcome from the screener cannot attend school and should follow-up with a health care provider.

While we have always had the expectation that students self-screen before coming to school, this new step in the process will have school staff verify the results of the screener at the beginning of the school day.

We are working to automate this verification process through a student portal, however, schools will use an interim process until the new portal is up and running. For Monday, students should self-screen prior to coming to school and be prepared to share the outcome of their self-screening with their homeroom teacher. Teachers will work with students to become familiar with this process so they can successfully navigate the student portal. In addition, schools have the flexibility to adapt the verification process for the needs and capabilities of students.

Remember, the Ontario COVID-19 School Screener can be accessed by clicking the button below, which can be found on all WRDSB school websites.

Our data continues to indicate that school-level transmission is low. Daily screening is a layer of protection that further reduces that risk. We look forward to welcoming our students back to school on Monday.

If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19…Stay Home.