An Abbotsford independent school has temporarily moved to remote learning for students in kindergarten to Grade 6 due to some COVID-19 cases.
The “functional closure” at the elementary campus of Abbotsford Christian School (ACS) will be in effect from Tuesday, Sept. 28 to Friday, Oct. 1.
ACS executive director Julius Siebenga said in a press release late Monday afternoon (Sept. 27) that the school has had “a number” of cases and there have been “close contacts across grade levels.” The exact number of cases was not specified.
He said the decision was made in consultation with Fraser Health and the Federation of Independent Schools Association rapid response team.
“This decision was not made lightly,” he said. “We believe that this closure will help to break the circuit of the virus that is moving through our school community.”
In an email to parents, Siebenga asked parents to adhere to the guidance of public health officers and to be diligent about the daily health checks.
ACS was the site of previous outbreaks, including one that occurred in May of this year, when it was recommended that the entire populations of their middle and secondary schools take COVID tests after a continuous 10-day exposure led to a COVID cluster.
A notification from Fraser Health indicated that there had been exposures at the middle school every day over a two-week period from April 26 to May 7.
ACS has three campuses for 1,250 students from preschool to Grade 12.
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