There is now a total of four schools in the Cochrane area that have moved to a temporary online learning scenario.

Over the weekend, Rocky View Schools (RVS) sent letters to families of students at Fireside School, Mitford School as well as Westbrook School just outside of Cochrane.

Each letter outlines a temporary move to at-home learning, in wake of recent COVID-19 cases within the school communities. 

The school division believes that a large number of people within the schools have been impacted by the positive cases and they deemed it necessary to implement added safety measures.

They say that the nature of recent positive cases requires a large number of potential close contact isolations, including the majority of teachers. Despite having a low number of cases within the schools, this creates operational issues.

The current plan is for students of Fireside School to return to in-person learning on Monday, May 10, and classes at both Mitford School as Well as Westbrook School are scheduled to resume on May 17.

In a joint statement, RVS Superintendent, Greg Luterbach, as well as Board Chair, Fiona Gilbert acknowledge the disruption that many families are facing and thank the affected individuals for their patience.

"We appreciate the challenges that this temporary shift to at-home learning may cause and we thank all our students, families and staff for your patience and cooperation as we work through the challenges and shifts of the evolving pandemic."

Students of St. Timothy have been attending virtual classes since April 19th. The move was originally slated for a two-week period but has since been extended.