Ontario won’t tell parents of school outbreak unless 30% out

By ROB GILLIES
Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — Officials in Canada’s largest province say parents will not be notified of a COVID-19 outbreak at their child’s school until there is 30% absenteeism rate among staff and students. Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce also said Wednesday that students will return to classrooms Monday. The government said earlier this month that online learning would run until at least Jan. 17 amid a surge in infections with the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Students and staff in Ontario schools will each eventually get two rapid tests to use if they develop COVID-19 symptoms, but they won’t know if large numbers of their peers and colleagues are off sick until a third of the school is absent.