34 teachers to be missing from Gold School due to NSW lockdown

A local MP claims 34 teachers will be missing from one Gold Coast school on Monday, as workers who live over the NSW border are locked out of Queensland.

A Gold Coast school will be missing 34 of its teachers due to the NSW lockdown, a Queensland MP claims.

Member for Burleigh Michael Hart says a school in his electorate will be missing 34 teachers on Monday because they all live across the border.

The entire state of NSW went into a snap seven-day lockdown at 5pm on Saturday, as Covid cases continue to climb there.

The decision has caused chaos for tens of thousands of residents living in border towns now unable to cross the Queensland border for work, study and medical appointments.

Dozens of NSW-based Queensland teachers and childcare workers were last week reclassified as non-essential and will not be able to cross the border to work from Monday.

“The border was always going to close at some stage, so what’s the plan to replace teachers who r locked out of their schools on the Gold Coast?” Mr Hart asked in a Twitter post.

“One of my schools will have 34 teachers missing on Monday.”

Question 4 Education Minister @gracextwo . The border was always going to close at some stage, so what’s the plan to replace teachers who r locked out of their schools on the Gold Coast? One of my schools will have 34 teachers missing on Monday. @GCBulletin@couriermail#qldpolpic.twitter.com/PezZgwX8VK

— Michael Hart MP (@MichaelHartMP) August 14, 2021

Mr Hart refused to identify the school, saying he did not want students to skip class on Monday morning.

“I spoke to the principal of the school this morning and they have spent all weekend planning for what they are going to do, they have a lot of teachers who live in NSW,” he said.

“They are hoping to get by but I want to know whether the government actually has a plan for what is happening.

“If this is just one school in my electorate, then how many others across the Gold Coast are going to be impacted?”