Data released from the Anglophone East School District shows a sharp increase in student absences this week after Moncton Health Zone 1 changed colour phases in the New Brunswick pandemic recovery plan.
In K-8 schools, 13 percent of students were absent on Tuesday during the Orange phase.
On Wednesday during a switch to the Red phase, absences jumped to 23 percent.
School district spokesperson Stephanie Patterson says high school numbers are trickier to compile since attendance is period by period and only half the student body attends every day.
Three schools have closed in the past week due to COVID-19 cases – Edith Cavell, Caledonia Regional and Riverview High.
Any school in the Red phase which confirms a positive case will be closed for at least three days to allow for contact tracing and on-site testing for school staff.
Parents and teachers were recently caught off guard when the Higgs government said schools would stay open in the Red phase despite an earlier plan to move to virtual learning instead.
Education minister Dominic Cardy has noted how keeping students in the classroom not only helps their academics but also their mental health.
