School division beefs up masking recommendation as absentee rates climb

School division strengthens masking stance Trustees with the Louis Riel School Division are strongly recommending masking in all divisional facilities due to rising absences.

A school division in Winnipeg is strengthening its stance on masking for staff and students as absentee rates climb higher than they have ever been.

The Louis Riel School Division passed a resolution Tuesday night to strongly recommend wearing masks in all divisional facilities, including buses.

"This motion reaffirms and strengthens the division’s position of mask usage in schools," Taylor Fenn, the communications manager for the division, said in an email to CTV News.

It comes as the division is seeing absenteeism rates climbing.

According to the division's website, November is the fall month with the highest absenteeism rates. That rate more than doubled this year compared to pre-pandemic years.

The division said the current absence rate, which has climbed to 11.8 per cent, is the highest rate ever recorded in the fall months since 2014.

The breakdown of the absentee rates can be found on the Louis Riel School Division website.

The division said the board and senior leadership team are expected to revisit the masking recommendation over the coming months.