Parents 'crowdsource' self-reporting website for school COVID-19 cases
Frustrated that school-related COVID-19 cases are no longer being reported by their child's school, a pair of Kincardine, Ont. parents have decided to take matter into their own hands.
“We’re parents of a six-year-old. So, trying to decide whether to send your child to school or not becomes a lot trickier when we don’t have numbers and caseloads. So, we went looking for a way to try and find more information, to help us make an informed decision,” says Keith Foster, the web designer and Kincardine parent behind covid.inkincardine.com.
Keith and Sarah Foster are the parents behind the website where Kincardine-area families can self-report their child’s positive COVID-19 rapid tests and/or their COVID-19-related household isolation.
They’re currently taking in self-reports for nine schools and daycares in Kincardine, Walkerton and Ripley.
“What we’re tracking is really absenteeism at the schools in our area, so we can look at the data and say, should I send our kids to school, rather than just guessing. We now have a least a little bit more information to make somewhat of a more informed decision,” says Keith.
As of Dec. 24, 2021, Ontario schools no longer have to report individual COVID-19 cases to the public. They’re only required to tell parents when absenteeism surpasses 30 per cent.
The Bluewater District School Board says they’ll be following the 30 per cent threshold, while officials with the Avon Maitland District School Board says they’re still deciding on their COVID-19 reporting.
“We’ve had both positive and negative feedback so far. Some folks think it’s just fear mongering by putting the numbers out there, but others have found it really helpful and have encouraged parents to bookmark it and use it,” says Sarah.
The Fosters contacted an epidemiologist before creating their site, who recommended removing age-based reports for privacy reasons.
The site, which was manually managed by the Fosters in the beginning, now essentially runs itself, actually automatically removing reported cases once the reported isolation period ends.
“The data is really only as accurate as what we get from people. So, there’s lots of trust that people are submitting correct data, but the data we have is the best that we have. There is really no other way for us to make an informed decision, so we really just have to roll with it,” says Keith.
Correction
A previous version of this story indicated schools in Owen Sound were included in the project, but they are not. We apologize for the error.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.