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Elementary schools are to reopen in stages, with smaller classes and students to attend on certain days of the week, school administrators and teachers said.
The views of education stakeholders are contained in documents submitted to the Department of Education as part of its consultation process on key issues that must be considered if schools are to reopen safely.
According to the government’s roadmap to ease Covid-19 restrictions, schools are due to reopen in September.
The presentation by the National Teachers’ Organization of Ireland (INTO) states that not all children in a class will be able to attend school every day due to the rules of social distancing and distance learning must continue.
Teachers cannot be expected to provide distance learning and teaching for students at home after or alongside the instruction of students attending school.
“Given the current orientation of physical distance, it will be necessary in almost all schools to reduce the number of children attending at the same time,” the document indicates.
“This will pose enormous organizational challenges for schools and clear communication with parents will be necessary.”
He says measures must be put in place to help children with physical distancing, including the provision of smaller class groups, floor markings, new arrangements for assembly and rest time, as well as one-way access systems.
“We are looking for firm guarantees that schools will not reopen prematurely and may then face a second period of forced closure, which would only aggravate an already difficult situation,” the union says in the document.
Ongoing assistance
The largest primary school management body said a “gradual return” to school may be required, along with a “continuous cycle of attendance.”
It says that risk assessments should be carried out in each school building and grounds to determine how many students could be accommodated in each classroom and other measures, such as cleaning procedures, hot water requirements, personal protective equipment, and hand sanitizer.
Parents should also be surveyed as to whether they plan to return their children to school, given that experience in other jurisdictions indicates that a minority of will not send children to school, at least initially.
If reduced numbers are required at school on any day, options include a half-day, daily, half-week, or weekly rotation for students.
It asserts that individual schools should have flexibility on what is best for them in consultation with all stakeholders.
The INTO presentation says staff and students should also have access to any personal protective equipment, such as face masks, that are recommended by public health councils.
This equipment must be centrally purchased by health or education authorities and delivered to schools.
Clarification
In addition, he says that schools should remain closed in cases where boards of directors believe that a school cannot provide a safe environment.
Teachers in at-risk groups, such as those over 60 and those with long-term medical conditions or weak immune systems, should be allowed to work from home.
The union is also seeking specific clarification from public health authorities about the level of risk, or additional risk, if any, to pregnant teachers.
The CPSMA document also raises questions about how children will get to school and if buses will continue to be available.
He also asks if school start and end times should be staggered to prevent large crowds from arriving / leaving at the same time, along with one-way entry and exit routes.
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