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At the beginning of the second week of classes, twelve classes in six schools in Salzburg are in “partial quarantine” due to the crown. Is there a cause for concern? We asked the education department and the parents’ association.
The first four positive cases of Covid 19 were reported in schools in Salzburg on the second day of classes after the summer break. After five days, 13 students and six teachers became infected. Yesterday, Sunday, more cases followed in educational institutions, for which a “traffic restriction” was ordered. This means that classes will be closed for this week and teachers and students cannot use public transportation or visit community facilities.
Is there any reason to be concerned? “No,” Education Director Rudolf Mair said on Monday when asked and reassured by SALZBURG24: “With around 73,000 students and 9,000 teachers, the ratio must be taken into account,” Mair said in a phone call with S24. “It doesn’t have a huge effect on the school system.” From an organizational point of view, schools could meet these challenges, they say. All currently affected educational institutions are located in the state capital.
The parents association is essential
Sabine Gabath of the National Association of Parents Associations is very concerned that “the educational deficit cannot be made up for with a ‘partial quarantine’ and school closings. That continues throughout life.” Parents are desperate because they no longer have vacation days or the employer does not give them time off for homeschooling. “They are disappointed and the impression is created that the problems are being passed on to their parents,” Gabath told S24. It is also unclear what happens if the school closes due to the crown and what consequences this would have for everyone involved.
After a conversation between the parents’ association and the education department, a common consensus was found today to keep primary schools open “because the first years of school are of immense importance.” Another blockade must be avoided at all costs.
Hygiene measures in schools
Every effort is made to keep the school running, Mair emphasizes. To do this, special hygiene measures were taken in advance to keep the risk of infection in schools as low as possible and prevent its spread:
- Regular hand washing and disinfection
- Keep your distance, supported by markings in the entrance areas and, if possible, moving the breaks to the outside area of the school; Breaks can be staggered regardless of school.
- Observe the hygiene of breathing and coughing.
- Regular ventilation of classrooms, even during lessons.
What happens in a corona case
In the case of a positive Corona case, the school directors work with a checklist specially prepared by the health authorities. Regulates the measures to be taken and takes charge of communication with interested students, parents, and teaching and administrative staff.
Each school also has an emergency kit, which includes suitable reserve masks. From now on, a non-contact fever measuring device is also available in all schools. Education director Mair appeals to parents: “Sick children should definitely stay home and return to school only when they have recovered.” It is not due to schools, but to the entire population, says the Salzburg education director, referring to the Rudolfskai, which is mainly full of young people, last Saturday night. “We can only avoid far-reaching consequences if everyone sticks to the guidelines together.”
Homeschooling and distance education
With homeschooling, the experience of the lockdown in the spring, and the necessary software that has been purchased since then have taken a big step forward. “At secondary level 2 it works quite well, the implementation of the curriculum is guaranteed in all schools in Salzburg,” explains Mair. Hiring new teachers to relieve existing staff is not a problem today. Rather, they rely on the possibilities of distance learning.
With the new school year, the “Digital School” portal was also launched, initially for federal schools and as of fall 2021 also for compulsory schools (especially primary and secondary schools). In the new platform, all important administrative and educational applications (digital grade management, communication, class registration, learning platforms, etc.) must be accessible with a single login.
There is also a regular online exchange between principals, teachers, and parent representatives to react to current events.
