Some parents at Homma elementary are feeling “gaslit” after hearing about six cases of COVID-19 in the school in recent weeks but so far they haven't received any official information.
Meanwhile, William Bridge elementary was listed on the VCH school exposure website – they had “potential” exposures on Nov. 17-19, Nov. 25-26 and Nov. 30.
Vancouver Coastal Health told the Richmond News, however, after looking at the Homma cases, it was determined the information didn’t need to be publicized either through a letter to parents or on the VCH school exposure website.
To keep each other informed of COVID-19 cases, many parents at Homma elementary have created an informal “game of telephone” to let each other know if their kids have tested positive for COVID-19, explained Jessica Lind, whose son attends Homma elementary.
Lind said she feels parents should be told more about COVID-19 cases and possible exposures.
Getting no official information from public health – or the school – when they know there are cases doesn’t inspire confidence in the system.
“We’re all feeling a little gaslit,” said Lind.
She added it would make people less fearful about COVID-19 and reduce how people view the disease.
“There’s so much stigma around it (now) and it’s so unnecessary,” she added.
When there are COVID-19 cases, VCH first does an investigation and contact tracing within 24 hours. They coordinate with the school to contact trace if they were infectious at school and tell anyone exposed what steps they need to take – whether they need to get tested or not, for example.
After that, they may post it on the website if there’s an increased risk of transmission, according to VCH.
So, after looking at the Homma cases, it was determined there wasn’t a need to let parents know, which was the same message from the Richmond School District – schools take direction from public health on whether to send out a letter to parents.
However, there can be a lag between a positive lab test and an update on the website but it’s “not reflective of the Public Health process of contact tracing and case management,” according to VCH.
Not informing parents about exposure either on the VCH website or by letter from the school has pushed parents to “take things into our own hands,” Lind said.
She acknowledged, this “game of telephone” is second-hand information.
However, they’ve done it out of concern for other families, adding “it’s a strange thing to hide.”
“We do need to know (about exposures) because there are high-risk family members we’d like to see (over the holidays),” Lind said.
The only information parents seem to be getting is a reminder to wear masks and wash hands, something she said is “insulting.”
Homma parent Karina Reid also said she thinks there needs to be more discussion about cases, instead of just protecting people’s privacy, in order to reduce stigma around COVID-19.
She added she’s not surprised there are conspiracy theories floating around because of the lack of discussion and information about local cases.
“The more we talk about it, the more we normalize it,” Reid said.
“Obviously, it’s happening everywhere,” Reid added. “As a parent, I have a right to know.”
Lind said she doesn’t blame teachers or school administration for the lack of information because she knows they’re following public health guidelines.
In fact, the school has been responsive to parent requests, for example, she said when one parent suggested they don’t do recorder lessons because it requires blowing into an instrument, the school responded by pausing the lessons.
Vaccine rollouts among children
Lind’s eight-year-old son was vaccinated on Thursday with the low-dose Pfizer vaccine, and the process was similar to the one for vaccinating adults.
Lind said she explained to her son how important it is to get vaccinated to protect his younger sister who’s still a toddler and high-risk children.
“We made a big deal out of it (saying) ‘this is the best thing to do,’” she said.
Her son bought into it and “he was really, really proud of himself.”
In fact, the students in her son’s class are keeping track of who’s vaccinated and in what order they got their vaccines – her son was second in his class.
Except for a sore arm, her son didn’t get any side effects from the vaccine, Lind said.
For information on how to register a child for a COVID-19 vaccine, click here.
