The MLA for Queens-Shelburne is calling on the provincial government to address health concerns at a local elementary school.
Kim Masland says she’s had a constant stream of concerned parents in her office voicing their worries over the spread of illnesses at Dr. John C. Wickwire Academy.
Masland believes a cut to custodial hours this year is to blame for all of the sick students.
“It was continuous, it was like they’d have pink eye, it would go to Strep Throat, it was just constant illness.”
Parents say their children have been dealing with pink eye, step throat, scarlet fever, and more.
“I had one parent tell me since January had missed 28 days.”
Masland brought the issue up in the legislature earlier this year but after hearing more complaints, she recently sent a letter to education minister Zach Churchill.
However, the director of Operations for South Shore Regional Centre for Education, says they are following a standard formula when it comes to custodial staff.
Brian Smith says the formula they are using for custodians is the standard across the South Shore.
Wickwire was slightly over the formula so they reduced a total of 26 hours of daily janitorial staff to 23.
Smith confirmed there was concern from parents, particularly over desk cleaning but says they are following the formula.
“The standard is cleaning the desk once a week and what our staff do is they’ll complete that once a week but if there is a desk that’s dirty, they’ll clean that desk as well.”
Smith says if there’s an absentee rate over ten per cent in the school, they report it to Public Health.
