Teachers in B.C. elementary schools are filing more than three times the number of COVID-19 infection claims than those working in secondary schools, the B.C. Teachers' Federation says.

In a news release Tuesday, the BCTF cited data from WorkSafeBC, which the union says shows 80 occupational COVID-19 infection claims were approved by the agency for kindergarten to Grade 7 teachers.

That's compared to 25 reports from teachers of students in Grades 8 to 12, the BCTF says. Those figures were collected as of March 11 of this year.

"The discrepancy in infection rates truly underscores the importance of mask-wearing in classrooms," said Teri Mooring, BCTF president, in a news release.

"Elementary schools aren’t subject to any mask mandates for students, unlike our secondary schools. The lack of transparent data about transmission in schools means we can only guess that the lack of masks is leading to more infections among elementary teachers."

The BCTF says 89 per cent of teachers' COVID-19 claims have been approved by WorkSafe, which happens when there is enough evidence to show the person not only has COVID-19, but when their exposure risk in the workplace was higher than normal.

The teachers' union says claims are increasing, suggesting in the last two weeks there was an increase in files by about 15 per cent.

"The public health officer and government seem to be holding firm with their current mask mandates," Mooring said.

"So while we continue to advocate for stronger measures, we also need to rely on parents to talk to their children about the importance of wearing a mask for everybody’s safety."

Teachers have repeatedly called for enhanced safety measures in schools amid the pandemic and one district has opted to introduce its own safety plan. 

Last week, the Surrey School District announced its own targeted health-and-safety plans, which will be implemented later this month.

"We recognize the importance of face-to-face learning and are committed to ensuring our students can continue to learn as safely as possible by following all appropriate measures to limit the spread of illness," school district Supt. Jordan Tinney said in a news release last week.

According to the BCTF, the number of claims submitted to WorkSafeBC by public school district employees is "second only to the health-care services sector" in total number of claims filed for occupational COVID-19 infection.