State government leaves parents in dark on school Covid-19 planning

A trial of air purifiers starts at a Norwood school today – but as borders get set to reopen there’s a raft of unanswered questions on how Covid will be managed in schools.

Just over two weeks from the opening of South Australia’s borders, the state government is yet to announce its plans for how Covid-19 will be managed in schools.

The lack of clarity comes as an audit of ventilation is carried out across 900 SA Education Department sites.

A trial of purifiers will start at Norwood Primary School on Monday.

Meanwhile, vaccination is still unavailable for children under 12, and just 26 per cent of those aged 12-16 are double-vaccinated.

That is the country’s second-lowest rate after Western Australia (23 per cent) and well behind the ACT (87 per cent), NSW (67 per cent) and Victoria (60 per cent).

The government insists a plan is on its way, but could not answer a raft of questions on how community transmission would be managed, including what social distancing, contact tracing and isolation requirements would look like.

It also would not say whether schools would be shut down for deep-cleaning in the event of outbreaks, or how capacity would be managed for popular end-of-year events such as concerts and graduations.

nd it has not pledged to roll out air purifyers like other states.

Over the border, the Victorian government already committed to ­installing 51,000 air purifiers in public, low-fee Catholic and independent schools.

Whether air purifiers are effective in classrooms to stop the Covid spread is still being debated.

Air purifiers aim to filter air by passing it through a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter.

As well as viruses, these filters are designed to trap unwanted particles such as dust, pollen, bacteria, viruses and hair from the air while allowing clean air to be pushed back out into the environment.

The second approach cycles the air through an enclosed unit where it is exposed to an ultraviolet (UV-C) germicidal light that kills viruses.

No update, either, was available on the government’s process for deciding whether to introduce a vaccine mandate for teachers.

Australian Education Union state president Lara Golding says the state government must provide Covid planning details to schools urgently. Picture: Supplied

Australian Education Union state president Lara Golding said the state government must ­urgently provide teachers with a ­detailed plan on how it would ­reduce the Covid-19 risk in schools.

“Staff, students and families deserve to know what plans are in place and what resources will be provided to maximise safety,” she said.

“We wrote to the Education Minister (John Gardner) nearly two months ago seeking to work constructively with the government on access to vaccinations, risk assessments, ventilation audits, mask requirements and social distancing planning.

“It is deeply concerning that we are yet to be consulted on a comprehensive plan or modelling for schools, preschools and TAFE.”

Opposition education spokesman Blair Boyer lambasted the expected December completion date for the school ventilation audit.

He said parents were often asking about how the government planned to curb community transmission in classrooms and schoolyards.

The Education Department said it had “actively engaged with key stakeholders in responding to the pandemic, ­including the AEU”.

“The department is currently working with SA Health on the plan to continue to keep students and staff safe now and after restrictions ease on November 23,” a spokesman said.

“We look forward to sharing the plan with parents and educators in coming days.”