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THE SITUATION WITH testing and contact tracing for teachers has become “simply unsustainable”, the National Organization of Teachers of Ireland (INTO) has said.
In a statement issued today, the union has sought urgent clarity on a number of issues, as the country appears ready to apply stricter restrictions in the coming days.
The government has indicated that it still intends to keep schools open under the kind of Level 4+ restrictions that are expected.
However, INTO said today that in recent weeks it has “become increasingly concerned that public health precautions for teachers are inadequate.”
The union said that many primary school teachers have underlying health problems or have family members whose health is at risk from Covid-19.
“The threat associated with rising infection levels in communities is causing apprehension and anxiety among school personnel across the country, especially in counties where Level 4 restrictions already apply,” he said.
INTO said the desire to keep schools open must be fulfilled with a “strong commitment to keeping schools safe,” calling for an immediate public health review to explore what the new measures mean for schools.
He also called for five measures to be implemented immediately.
This includes posting the exact number of school staff members who have tested positive since September, with breakdowns by school type, role of staff member, etc.
The union also wants a clear explanation of the difference between close contact and casual contact in a school setting, along with an urgent review of the policy on the use of face covers.
It also calls for “an additional set of protective measures for elementary and special schools in areas where level 4 of the government framework applies, including immediate prohibition of extracurricular activities, restriction of parents / guardians congregating on the grounds. from the school to a maximum of 15 adults wearing masks at any one time, a strict no-visit policy for all schools and the provision of funds to ensure that teachers and students can participate in distance learning.
INTO General Secretary John Boyle said the union has engaged constructively with the government throughout the process of reopening schools, but that clear action is now needed given the deteriorating situation in the country.
“Despite our best efforts, the government has failed to offer an industry-specific, fit-for-purpose testing and tracking system accelerated in the seven weeks since the schools reopened,” Boyle said.
“This has resulted in lead teachers having to regularly initiate after-hours contact with families and staff members when they have been notified of positive tests.
This situation is simply untenable. If our elementary and special schools are to fully reopen after the midterm recess and operate safely next month, the government must ensure that the necessary safeguards and protocols are in place within the next fortnight.
In a statement to TheJournal.ie, a spokesman for the Department of Education said evidence to date suggests that schools have reopened safely since late August.
The spokesperson said: “As of October 15, the latest public health data shows that 8164 students and teachers have participated in massive testing. This has led to the detection of 136 additional cases. This equates to a positive detection rate of 1.7% of the additional cases detected.
“In other words, when massive close contact testing has been done in the school setting of confirmed cases, this has only resulted in a small number of additional confirmed cases, not all of which are transmitted within the school setting. This rate is still very low despite the fact that the comparable positive detection rate in the community continues to rise more than 6%. “
The spokesperson said there have been no significant changes in the proportion of total weekly Covid-19 cases among school-age children before August and since the reopening of schools.
The department has worked with public health to ensure that “testing has priority for those close contacts within the school community of confirmed Covid-19 cases.”
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“Appointments for the Covid 19 exam are issued as a priority for close contacts at school through a specific school referral process within the HSE,” the spokesperson said. “At the time of testing, the swabs for the school group are sent to the lab as a ‘red flag’ batch to be processed as a priority on delivery to the lab.”
The spokesperson added that there are a number of other supports available to schools, saying that a recent round of inspector visits to schools has found them to be “generally positive” in terms of how they are implementing Covid-19 response plans.
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