PM backs surveillance Covid tests for teachers but not for kids

Teachers are likely to be subjected to surveillance Covid testing and tests for students also are on the table, as national cabinet prepares to reveal its return-to-school plans. Take our poll.

Scott Morrison has backed calls for teachers to undergo regular Covid testing in a bid to make the return to the classroom safer for students.

Ahead of the national cabinet meeting Thursday, the Prime Minister said there was little evidence to support the regular testing of students, going against the plan to be adopted by NSW and Victoria.

Students in the two eastern states will be asked to take rapid antigen tests (RAT) at home twice a week before class – a model that SA has not adopted.

Mr Morrison said there was a “very strong case” for surveillance testing teachers, similar to health care workers.

“The predominant way, I’m advised, that the virus comes into a community like that is actually through the teachers, not through the students,” he said on Wednesday.

Advertiser.com.au readers were split on whether teachers should be forced to take regular Covid tests, with 59 per cent in favour of surveillance testing and 41 per cent against. If you haven’t already voted, take our poll below.

Back to School

Mr Morrison said there was “mixed” advice about regular testing of students.

All states are not expected to agree to the same plan, but the PM said he would seek to harmonise it “as much as possible”.

SA’s independent Education Union has called for the prompt rollout of RATs.

“We are calling for the deployment of RATs and we’re looking forward to discussing how they would be implemented,” SA union secretary Glen Seidel said.

The union also threw its support behind establishing vaccination clinics on campus for students to hasten the child jab program.

“We want to make sure schools are as safe as possible for everyone, and that is based on maximising the vaccination of all staff and students,” Mr Seidel said.

It comes as tensions between the Australian Education Union and the state government eased over school safety.

The union’s SA branch president Andrew Gohl met with education department heads to discuss the state government’s current return-to-school plan.

Mr Gohl said it was a “positive meeting that identified some further work to be done”.

The two parties will meet again Thursday.

The union has previously blasted the state government’s plan as lacking detail, and is set to vote on whether teachers should strike at the start of the first term.

Mr Gohl did not rule out strike action.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: Gary Ramage

“Further discussions are planned and we’ll consider our position with member input when discussions are completed and we’ve reported back to members,” Mr Gohl said. When school starts in SA, reception and years 1, 7, 8 and 12 will have classes on campus with other year levels moving to online learning.

Six-year-old Zoe Cross will be starting in the first grade in two weeks.

Her mother Mary Miles said she would like to see more detail about the use of RATs in school.

“I haven’t had enough information about how they are proposing to mitigate risks for the kids who are heading to school,” Ms Miles said.

“I do also worry for the teachers, because they are being exposed to 30 different families and 30 different ways of treating Covid, so it adds a lot more stress to them and their families.”