Work-from-home plan for teachers in battle to go back to school

With tens of thousands of kids preparing to get vaccinated from next week, the Premier will reveal her back to school plan on Sunday amid revelations children of essential workers could get special treatment and some teachers could work from home.

Covid-19 back to school arrangements will be unveiled by the Premier on Sunday, amid revelations teachers deemed close contacts could be allowed to work remotely while quarantining at home.

It comes as tens of thousands of children aged five to 11 prepare to roll up their sleeves and get the Covid-19 jab from Monday — though there are reports deliveries of jabs have been delayed.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is expected to reveal concrete Covid-19 back to school plans today after announcing on Friday the government was considering delaying the start of term 1 by one to two weeks.

She said this was to give children more time to get vaccinated while avoiding having kids go back to school at a time Queensland could potentially be hitting the peak of the Omicron wave.

It’s understood any delay would likely involve all schools – primary, secondary and special – with a possibility of special provisions for the children of essential workers.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will announce her back to school plan on Sunday. Picture: Annette Dew

Ahead of the new school year the majority of Queensland teachers have also been warned to prepare “in case of emergency” home learning materials, with some instructed to take home essential items like laptops and chargers in case of snap closures.

The Education Department has revealed Queensland teachers forced to isolate due to being deemed Covid-19 close contacts may be able to work from home if they are well enough to do so.

A departmental spokesman said this would allow teachers, in consultation with their principals, to continue working and avoid tapping into their sick leave.

“In consultation with their supervisor, staff working from home will determine responsibilities and duties to be completed,” he said.

“Staff hours of work will be consistent with the school’s local arrangements and industrial agreements.”

Teachers have expressed concern a surge in cases would force them to take banks of leave, with the department confirming if a teacher contracts Covid-19, normal sick leave provisions would apply.

Education staff have been notified masks would be mandatory when school reopened.

Kids under 12 — except if they are in Year 7 — and those with a medical condition or disability would be exempt.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Rural Chair, Dr Michael Clements.

One Brisbane primary school teacher said she had already planned to wear a mask while teaching prior to the new rules, as she had a close family member suffering from an immune disorder.

“I’m becoming very anxious about returning to school” she said.

She said she welcomed the potential of a one to two week delay, and hoped more parents would get their children vaccinated in that time.

Queensland Health confirmed as of Friday 24,651 bookings had been made to vaccinate five to 11 year olds from when the program kicks off on Monday.

A total of 34 vaccination clinics run by Queensland Health will be administering jabs to young children, starting from different days this coming week, with most accepting walk-ins.

However, it was uncertain on Saturday if every clinic opening on day one had received the children-specific jabs.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) rural chair and Townsville GP Dr Michael Clements said many clinics across Queensland had been forced to cancel children vaccine appointments last minute, after stock failed to arrive.

Dr Clements said the issue was particularly widespread in regional and rural Queensland, with freight distribution issues to blame.

“Out west I believe there is no access to (Covid-19 vaccines for children) yet,” he said.

Stephanie Topp, 7, and Mya Ellwell, 8, will be getting their first Covid vaccines next week. Picture: Annette Dew

The federal government has repeatedly made reassurances that supply of the jab was not an issue and that there would be adequate paediatric doses to meet the first dose requirement.

Australia’s Covid-19 primary care response first assistant secretary Dr Lucas de Toca told GPs in a webinar that the majority of kid vaccine deliveries would completed the end of this week.

He said a “small number of practices in urban settings” will receive deliveries on Monday when the rollout was due to begin and the next day, but those practices had been notified prior to Christmas.

Dr Clements’ clinics were among those informed early but said his doses were now not expected to arrive.

But he had opted not to open bookings for kids to get the jab at his clinic until the fridges were stocked, saying he had “lost confidence” in the Commonwealth’s vaccine distribution efforts after “constant disappointment” in 2021.

Sandra Elwell said securing a vaccine appointment for daughter Mya, 8, hadn’t been “as straight forward or as prompt” as hoped but understood the “strain on all things medical” currently.

“It’s important for us to have Mya vaccinated so that when she inevitably is exposed to Covid-19 her symptoms are as minimal as possible, she returns to full health promptly and the spread from her is limited for sake of her friends and family,” Ms Elwell said.