Early learning academy in Thorncliffe closed over COVID concerns, classes at Woodbridge Catholic school move online

Thestar.com
Dec. 7, 2020
Akrit Michael

Toronto District School Board said Sunday that Fraser Mustard Early Learning Academy in Thorncliffe Park will be closed to students and staff until Dec. 14.

The early learning academy, which has around 650 students divided into 23 kindergarten classes as well as a daycare centre, was closed on the advice of Toronto Public Health to allow them “time to finish investigating and conducting additional COVID-19 testing,” a TDSB tweet read.

This makes Fraser Mustard the second TDSB school currently closed due to students testing positive for COVID-19. The school has seven confirmed cases among students, with one case resolved, according to the TDSB dashboard.

This closure comes soon after Thorncliffe Park Public School, an adjoining TDSB primary school, which was the first site of the province’s voluntary mass asymptomatic testing program, also closed due to climbing number of cases among staff and students.

Three teachers at the primary school had walked off the job Thursday last week.

Thorncliffe Park remains one of Toronto’s most adversely affected neighbourhoods due to the pandemic, with a positivity rate of around 16 per cent, as mentioned by Thorncliffe Park Public School’s Principal Jeff Crane (As of Nov. 22 Toronto Public Health had Thorncliffe at 10.6 per cent.)

In Woodbridge, Father Bressini Catholic High School in the York Catholic District School Board has suspended in-person classes for two weeks, until Dec. 18.

Meanwhile, new, stricter COVID-19 screening guidelines issued by public health units in Toronto and Peel kick in Monday.

The updated advice to families begins in all public and Catholic schools in the two regions, as well as child-care facilities in Toronto.

The changes mean that if one student in a family has just one symptom -- such as a runny nose, headache or upset stomach -- that child cannot attend school and neither can their brothers and sisters. All are to remain in isolation at home for 10 to 14 days, unless the child with the symptom tests negative.