Kaleden Elementary is the latest Penticton school to see concerning low attendance.
A letter sent home on Jan. 17 to Kaleden Elementary families indicates the school has reached a low attendance level that meets a threshold for Interior Health to monitor the situation.
The school stressed that meeting the attendance threshold does not necessarily mean a functional closure of the school is imminent.
“It does mean that we will continue to monitor our attendance on a daily basis and we will be sure to keep you updated if additional actions are recommended,” the letter to families reads.
Prior to Kaleden Elementary, three schools in Penticton have reached an attendance threshold that Interior Health is reviewing.
Uplands Elementary was the first to send the letter home to parents and then on Jan. 14. letters were sent home for Penticton Secondary and Princess Margaret Secondary which also saw attendance drop below the threshold.
All these schools remain open at this time.
Some schools in the Interior have had to temporarily close because of either staff shortages or student attendance being so low.
The school district asks parents to continue to contact the school office when a child is away and indicate if they should be marked excused ill or absent for another reason.
Schools do not require parents and caregivers to disclose if a student is away because of having COVID-19.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced on Jan. 7 that B.C. would no longer be tracking COVID exposures in school and making them public because of the fast spread of Omicron. Instead, districts would monitor staff and student attendance levels, she said.
The Facebook group BC School COVID Trackers said it continues to post information about COVID outbreaks in schools if it has documented proof.
READ MORE: 3 Penticton schools being monitored by IH
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