News

Saskatoon parents concerned about school employee self-isolating after attending anti-mask rally

Name: Flying Eze
Price range: $

by
Flying Eze
April 27, 2021

Some parents at Hugh Cairns V.C. School in Saskatoon are raising concerns about an employee currently self-isolating after attending an anti-mask rally amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The school principal sent a note to parents over the weekend. It said “if the school division is aware of a student or staff member being ordered to self-isolate, the individual is prohibited from entering the school for the extent of the order.

“Additional cleaning in the school would also be completed upon learning of the isolation order.”

The letter came after posts online claimed an employee had attended several anti-mask rallies, including one in Prince Albert April 17.

Those attendees have been ordered to self-isolate.

The school board confirmed the man is an employee. Articles online show the man attending anti-mask rallies as early as October 2020.

“We can’t be speaking to details when it comes to any sort of employee issue but what we can say, in a circumstance is that when we know an individual is under an isolation order,” said Veronica Baker, spokesperson of Saskatoon Public School Division and speaking on behalf of Hugh Cairns.

Parent wants employee gone

Baker said its schools have told staff about the safety measures in place and expect them to follow them while on the job.

That’s not enough for parent Lisa Montgomery, who has two children at the school

“I don’t think it’s okay to say ‘He’s under isolation don’t come to school for a week’,” she said.

“He’s already proven to have lost trust, he’s proven to have broken rules, laws, public health orders, he should not be anywhere near a nursing home or a school or any place where there’s large groups of people that we’re trying really hard to protect.”

Montgomery says she’d like to see the employee fired.

An outbreak was declared at the school Sunday. The Saskatchewan Health Authority said it is conducting a contact tracing investigation.

Baker said the public school board has been encouraging staff and students to continue following health guidelines, in and out of school.

“We know that the choices that ourselves, our families are making outside of the school are going to impact what’s happening inside the school and our ability to keep everybody safe,” she said.

Global News reached out to the employee for comment. He did not respond by deadline.