CALGARY -- As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve in Alberta and across Canada, one school district has decided to turn off the water fountains inside their schools.
Rocky View Schools, a district that oversees schools in a number of the regions surrounding Calgary, sent a letter home to parents Thursday announcing several new measures to protect the safety of students and staff and limit the spread of COVID-19.
Among the decisions the board made was to turn off all water fountains inside schools or render them inaccessible. RVS says the measure was adopted as a precaution.
"Students should bring a personal water bottle to school," the letter reads. "Please review with your child to not share food, water and personal items with others."
Staff members say they are also continuing to monitor their student absence lines for reasons that children cannot come to school and all students who arrive at the school with flu-like symptoms are being escorted to infirmaries where they can be monitored until they are picked up by a parent.
All field trips, school assemblies cancelled
In another update Friday morning, RVS announced all field trips, both inside and outside the province, have been cancelled until further notice.
"This includes all activities where students are taken off school property or the location where they regularly receive their instruction," a letter addressed to parents reads.
The school board is also advising all students, volunteers and staff who plan to travel outside of Canada to go into self-isolation for 14 day after they come back into the country.
In response to Alberta Health's decision to prohibit all public gatherings of 250 people or more, RVS says it has cancelled all multi-classroom activities, including assemblies, until further notice.
All school team sports and school council meetings are also cancelled, RVS says.
