Canceling of classes at Marlborough elementary should have also meant the school's teachers not be asked to continue to work, says the Burnaby Teachers Association.

Classes resumed at Marlborough yesterday (Wednesday) after being stopped June 17 when it was discovered the one of the five students infected with the H1N1 virus had attended while in the contagious stage.

The Burnaby school district made the move based on the recommendation and criteria set out by Fraser Health. While commending the board for the decision, BTA president Marianne Neill questioned why teachers were required to be at work.

"Would it not make sense to treat teachers with the same protocols as students when it comes to concerns about a communicable disease," said Neill in a press release.

She said however small the margin, the risk still must be greater if the teachers continued to congregate at the school, especially since student confidentiality prevents the district from telling the teachers if one of their students had been diagnosed with H1N1.

Burnaby board of education chair Diana Mumford said Fraser Health felt there weren't any issues for teachers.

"The teachers were given the option of working at another site, if they so chose. They've been given that option, I understand, twice. They also have the option, if they are feeling ill, of staying home and using their sick time to recover," said Mumford.

In addition to reducing the number of people in the school from 1,200 to 100, the district, she said, has confidence in the staff to know how to follow preventative measures, such as washing hands, and if they're not feeling well to remain at home. "That's an easier thing to control than with students."

Dr. Larry Gustafson of Fraser Health spoke to the school's staff on Monday, June 15 so they were well informed, Mumford said.

Although she said the district hadn't received any complaints from its staff and that the objection was coming from the BTA, Neill said it would not be reacting this way unless the concern was coming from its members.

With so many unknowns and questions, it might be good advice in the future for workers and unions to negotiate communicable disease protocols, said Neill.

Mumford said some parents at the school were concerned Marlborough wasn't closed to classes earlier than it was, while others were concerned it had been closed at all because that meant finding someone to take care of their children.

"There hasn't been a huge outcry whatsoever," said Mumford. "They understand."

Fraser Health has told the district all the students who have been diagnosed with H1N1 have recovered or are recovering well, said Mumford. None required hospitalization. The week long stoppage should be enough to break the cycle of transmission since without human contact the virus has a low survivability.

Although classes resumed yesterday, report cards were to be handed out today before the students were dismissed for summer holidays.

ggranger@burnabynewsleader.com

BTA PRESS RELEASE

Marlborough Elementary School was closed on June 17th in response to a number of cases of H1N1. While students were asked to stay home, teachers in the school were required to report to work. While the Burnaby Board should be commended for making the decision to take the precaution of closing the school to students, there are questions to be asked about the decision to require teachers to be at work. Would it not make sense to treat teachers with the same protocols as students when it comes to concerns about a communicable disease?

The questions are significant for any workers who may find themselves in similar situations. Imagine an office closed to customers, because many customers had been diagnosed with a communicable disease in a global pandemic. Imagine that the illness can incubate for 2-7 days, and that any of the workers could be carriers. Then imagine that the workers are nevertheless required to report to work after the business is closed. This is essentially what happened to the teachers at Marlborough.

With Fraser Health advising that there is no danger to the teachers, one might ask how the Health Authority measures ‘danger’. Is there no danger to teachers with students removed, or is there just less danger? Is the level of danger considered ‘less’ because the illness is considered ‘mild’? Are students removed, not because they are in danger, since the illness appears to be mild, but because they are more likely to spread the illness more quickly? Is it because they can’t be relied on to wash their hands and are more likely not to cover their mouth when coughing?

At this time there have been 349 hospitalizations and thirteen deaths reported among laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 in Canada. In any flu season, different flues result in about 4,000 Canadian deaths a year. If H1N1 is not serious, why has the WHO declared a global pandemic? According to the Public Health Agency of Canada website, the concern is that this is a new strain, and people will likely have no natural immunity to protect against the virus. Therefore it could spread quickly. The more cases there are, the more deaths there will be.

At this time, there have been 209 confirmed laboratory cases in British Columbia. About 2.4% of those were at Marlborough. However, the data takes on a different meaning when you know that adults are not being routinely tested if they have a mild flu, so there could be many more cases than are reported. Some teachers in Marlborough elementary are sick, but may never know whether they have H1N1, unless it becomes serious.

Whatever the seriousness of the illness, logic suggests that the teachers at Marlborough elementary are at greater risk of taking ill with H1N1 than other members of the community. By however small a margin, the risk must be greater if they continue to congregate at the school.

Here are some of the facts:

· Teachers in the school had not been informed if students in their class were diagnosed with H1N1. They had been informed each time a new case was discovered, but not whether it was one of their students. Student confidentiality had to take priority. So they had do idea which among them was most likely to have been exposed.

· Since the incubation period is 2-7 days, and people can carry the virus while asymptomatic, there is a chance, no matter how slim, that the teachers could relay the virus to one another.

· The argument that they can just as easily be exposed in the community is illogical. The school milieu is a known H1N1 site, with a larger proportion of cases than the community at large.

With so many questions and unknowns, workers and unions might do well to pre-emptively negotiate agreements about H1N1 protocols, or, in general, protocols for closure of the work site due to the presence of a communicable disease.

Statement from SD41

Marlborough Elementary to Reopen on June 24

After a precautionary closure due to an H1N1 case, Marlborough Elementary School will reopen on Wednesday, June 24. For further information on the H1N1 influenza including prevention tips and symptoms visit www.healthlinkbc.ca If children are exhibiting H1N1 symptoms parents are advised to call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 or call ahead to their doctor's office