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Snals press release – The State-Regions Agreement has provided for the resumption of educational activities in the presence of 50% in secondary schools from January 7.
Face-to-face schooling is a priority for everyone, first of all for school staff, but it is clear that simply distributing a surgical mask and installing disinfectant gel dispensers is not enough to protect those who gravitate towards school, from students to children teachers, from administrative staff to collaborators. ; Above all, these cannot be the only measures to guarantee the health of those who, even for personal reasons, are among the categories at greatest risk of suffering the possible consequences of infection.
Therefore, in the opinion of SNALS-CONFSAL, adequate and timely responses are needed.
Certainly it must be considered that teachers, like doctors, are exposed to a high risk of contagion. However, while doctors have very strict safety protocols, they wear coveralls, masks and visors, teachers only receive a surgical mask. However, there are an average of 25 to 30 people in a class, including students, basic teachers and support teachers. It stays there for at least 4/5 hours a day and surgical masks alone are not very effective in a similar situation. In the vaccine distribution program, it will be necessary to assume priorities, among the
different job categories, but it cannot be ignored that teachers, along with all school personnel, are on a par with doctors, exposed in the front line to the risk of contagion. In fact, each teacher spends two to five hours a day in contact with a number of students that varies between 50 and 150 units. Situation that becomes particularly risky in secondary schools, where the audience, which varies between 14 and 19 years, represents the category considered most involved in the transmission of the virus, due to the not always adequate attention that young people pay to the respect. measures to contain contagion, especially in relationships with peers.
Therefore, if it is considered appropriate that schools remain open, because teaching must be carried out in presence, it would be desirable to include school personnel, together with health personnel, in the first installment of vaccines to be administered, to protect a high category risk of contagion. This is so as not to overload hospitals and intensive care units, and to ensure the regular performance of teaching activities, for which it is not enough to keep schools open, but it is necessary to act to protect the health of teachers and everything school personnel. to avoid having the students in the classroom, but the teachers at home, in quarantine or worse in the hospital.
It is precisely at this stage that decisions must be made and priorities established. If the Minister of Education continues to affirm that face-to-face teaching must be guaranteed, he should probably take equally strong positions in the protection of school personnel, considering as a priority the protection of the health of workers who, without great defenses and adequate protective equipment, They did not hesitate to appear in person for state exams last summer and did not hold back during this school year, as long as the activity was carried out in person, but today they need to feel protected in their right to health.
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