Boarding school students win holidays COVID reprieve
Just days after they made a moving video pleading their case, the Government has listened and allowed boarding students to go home for the school holidays.
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Hundreds of Queensland boarding students will be allowed to go home for the school holidays after Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young listened to emotional pleas to relax COVID rules.
Boarders whose families live in NSW of ACT areas which have had no positive coronavirus cases for a month will be allowed to cross the border without quarantining.
But they — and their parents or guardians — must travel only by road, cannot stop en route and are not allowed to leave their homes or have visitors.
Dr Young broke the news to Education Queensland Director-General, Tony Cook, on the weekend.
She told the Queensland Catholic Education Commission, Independent Schools Queensland and the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association late last month that there would be no exemptions.
The new rules would apply to primary and secondary boarding students from Prep to Year 12 for the next three months.
Stuartholme students’ heartbreaking video
The breakthrough came after Stuartholme School’s 16 NSW boarders published a moving video, No Borders for Boarders, pleading their case.
It received more than 10,000 views and more than 1500 shares in the first day after it went up on the inner-westside school’s web page and on social media.
School principal, Kristen Sharpe, said one of the 16 NSW boarders would still not be allowed home without quarantining as they were from Sydney.
Chinese boarders who have not seen their parents since January also were still facing the prospect of another school holiday period without seeing their parents.
“I’ll be talking to the parents about it on Thursday in a zoom meeting. It’s wonderful news as some of the parents have been very distraught,’’ Ms Sharpe said.
“Nonody expects to send their children to school and not have access to them.
“I think it’s (the breakthrough) because we had so many voices speaking out — every boarding school has been fighting on the fronts they have connections with.’’
Ms Sharpe said the video, shot in one take in only an hour, touched so many people because it was from the students themselves, not another adult speaking on their behalf.
She praised Health Minister Steven Miles for his understanding and skill in balancing public health and individual needs.
The news was also welcomed at nearby Marist College Ashgrove, which has 24 NSW boarders.
