​January 19, 2021

RE: RED ALERT LEVEL IN ZONE 3

Hello ASD-W Families,

As of midnight, on January 19, 2021, Health Zone 3 (Fredericton Region) will move to the Red Alert level.

Specific to ASD-W, Health Zone 3 includes 67 of our 69 schools. Our remaining two schools are in Health Zone 4, and are already at the Red Alert level.

I would like to assure you that we continue to work closely with Public Health and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) to do our best in ensuring your safety, health, and well-being.

Based on the provincial government’s Covid-19 Recovery Plan, schools will follow New Red Level Directives. This means, schools will remain open with enhanced health and safety measures including:

• Students and staff stay home if they have even one symptom of COVID-19.
• School staff are actively screened when they report to work each day. Parents screen their children each morning prior to sending them to school.
• If a positive case of COVID-19 is confirmed, the school will close for a minimum of three consecutive days to allow for contact tracing and the school will become a testing site for staff.

The EECD has released a document which outlines Red Level directives specific to schools and early learning and childcare facilities. The full document can be found here:

Changes in Directives for the Red Level

A summary of the enhanced safety measures laid out in this document is as follows:

MASKS:

1. Students are required to wear a mask at all times including outdoors and in play during sports activities. EXCEPTIONS: When they are working silently on their own or eating.
2. Masks must be worn at all times on buses.
3. All employees must wear a mask at all times EXCEPTIONS:  When they are eating or sitting alone in a closed office or room.
4. School-age children and those teaching them are expected to bring two clean masks with them each day.

MUSIC:

1. ​Use of wind instruments and singing are not permitted.
2. Extra-curricular activities, including SISTEMA, theatre, choir and band are not permitted.

PHYS ED:

1. ​Activities that allow for physical distancing such as yoga, dancing, walking will be employed.
2.  Interscholastic, extra-curricular and intramural sports are not permitted.

TRAVEL:

1. Necessary travel only is recommended in and out of Red level zones, however, people can continue to travel within the province for work, school, essential errands and medical appointments. 
2. All field trips will be cancelled.

A comparison chart outlining community directives for each of the levels, including the Red level, can be found on the New Brunswick Government website here:

RECOVERY LEVEL COMPARISONS CHART

For more information regarding the pandemic as it relates to schools, please also refer to the "Return to School – Direction for School Districts and Schools" document, which sets provincial expectations and standards for the safe operation of our schools during the pandemic. It can be found at this link:

RETURN TO SCHOOL DOCUMENT

As a final note, I encourage all families to be more diligent then ever with wearing masks, hand-washing, and social distancing. These actions can make a major impact on keeping our schools, children, and communities safe.

Thank you,

David McTimoney, Superintendent