INTO asks the government to delay the reopening of schools until January 11 at the earliest

IRELAND’S NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF TEACHERS (INTO) has asked the government to consider delaying the start of the next school term until January 11 at the earliest.

INTO Secretary General John Boyle made the request in a letter to Education Minister Norma Foley ahead of an unscheduled Cabinet meeting to be held today.

The cabinet will meet to discuss the “rapid” and “exponential” growth of Covid-19 infections in Ireland and the United Kingdom, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said.

Another 1,546 Covid-19 cases were confirmed in Ireland by health officials last night.

In his letter, Boyle requested that the start of the next school year be delayed until Monday, January 11 “at the earliest.”

“INTO remains firmly committed to supporting our 42,000 members in safe workplaces, as they strive to teach and support the well-being of their students at school, where children undoubtedly benefit greatly,” Boyle wrote.

“However, it is now very clear that the ability of schools to operate normally is likely to be seriously affected due to the increased numbers of staff and students who will need to isolate themselves or restrict movement in the weeks after Christmas,” he said.

INTO raised a number of concerns regarding the reopening of schools next month, including the number of positive cases identified as a result of mass testing in schools this month, and the new strain of Covid-19, believed to be which is 70% more transmissible. , which has been identified in Ireland.

Boyle argued that an extension of school closings until the end of next week would give school boards time to implement “improved measures.”

These include additional supports for students who will not be able to return to school for a few weeks, the hiring of substitute teachers, and the provision of additional PPE and sanitizing fluids when supplies are running low.

“In our opinion, your government would also be in a better position by the end of next week to take into account the emerging scientific evidence regarding new Covid-19 variants than it could possibly do in the next seven days,” Boyle said.

On December 17, Education Minister Norma Foley said she “appreciates the concern” that people have about Covid-19, but that the level of transmission of the virus in schools remains low.

Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Foley said that public health experts are in the best position to make decisions about whether to take action in individual schools and that cases, at the time, were low in schools across the country.