Press release:
Interior Health has recommended discontinuing in-class learning and moving to remote learning for Mar Jok Elementary School in West Kelowna.
The Interior Health Medical Health Officer has declared a COVID-19 school outbreak and is asking all members of the school community to self-monitor for symptoms and get tested if they are sick.
"The declaration of an outbreak and temporary closure of the physical school to in-class learning is an important safety measure. We are confident in our staff's proven ability to minimize the disruption to learning and transition to remote learning for students," said Kevin Kaardal, Superintendent of Schools/CEO. "Interior Health has worked closely with our administrators to protect students and staff, and we are well prepared to adapt to safety measures such as this to prevent the spread of communicable disease."
Interior Health identified increased COVID-19 activity at the school in recent weeks and asked several school community members to self-isolate. Despite this and other measures taken by school staff, a handful of exposures continued to occur, prompting Interior Health to recommend the temporary suspension of in-class learning. In its letter to Mar Jok families, Interior Health commended the school and school district for going above and beyond to implement additional environmental and administrative measures to prevent transmission.