Temporary vaccine or test policy to continue in Swift Current school

Players and fans at the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association 5A girls volleyball championship this weekend at Swift Current Comprehensive High School will still have to present their proof of vaccination or proof of a recent negative test to attend the tournament.

This week, there has been some uproar in the province over the policy. Some constituents of Education Minister Dustin Duncan had apparently contacted him to complain about it, and so he sent a letter to division chairs to explain that such policies would not be allowed for in-class or extracurriculars.

“I just don’t think it’s appropriate that we would limit the opportunities for students to partake as fully as possible in the school year, based on a decision that either they, or perhaps their parents, made for them,” Duncan said Thursday.

However, the division is going to continue with the policy, including for the tournament.

According to a spokesperson, the decision wasn’t made by the division but by a local health officer because the host high school is currently under a COVID-19 outbreak due to several cases and transmission in the school. Students have not been moved to online learning.

The spokesperson said the policy is a temporary measure because of the outbreak; the division doesn’t have a general requirement for students taking part in extracurriculars to be vaccinated.

The division is seeking clarity from the ministry, but the spokesperson said the policy will continue as the division believes the circumstances are an exception to what the minister was referring to in his letter earlier this week.