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COVID-19 Outbreak

St. Thomas Aquinas shifting to at-home learning

Feb 12, 2021 | 8:31 AM

A Red Deer middle school is moving to at-home online learning due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

Parents at St. Thomas Aquinas School were informed Friday that all grades will be shifting to online learning on a temporary basis starting Feb. 22 when school returns from Winter Break (Feb. 15-19).

According to the website Support our Students, St. Thomas Aquinas School has had a total of six cases of COVID-19, including five since in-school learning resumed in January.

“The cases this past week have continued to have an impact on our entire school community,” Kathleen Finnigan, Superintendent for Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools said in a letter to parents.

“Please know that this decision was not made lightly and as we continue to realize the strains that COVID-19 places on us we need to be flexible with our decision making and put our students and their learning at the centre of all conversations.”

According to Alberta’s school status map, there are COVID-19 outbreaks at three schools in Red Deer as of Thursday: St. Thomas Aquinas (5-9 cases), St. Teresa of Avila School (5-9 cases) and St. Joseph High School (10+ cases).

Alerts (2-4 cases) are in effect at three other schools in the city: St. Francis of Assisi, Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School and Glendale Sciences and Technology School.