Covid mandate to lift for hundreds of suspended education staff

Hundreds of suspended education staff are waiting to find out their fates after the state announced it will lift the Covid mandate next week.

Suspended teachers are waiting to find out their fates after the state government announced it would relax its vaccine mandate next week.

Hundreds of suspended teachers will be back in their classrooms this year after the state government lifted its six-month vaccine mandate.

Education Department director general Michael De’Ath told education staff on Friday the mandate would be repealed on Thursday, June 30 from 1am.

In a letter to staff on Friday, he said the COVID-19 vaccination requirements for workers in high-risk settings, such as schools, early childhood centres, police watch houses and airports, would remain in place until next Thursday.

“The department is preparing updated information for staff and I will provide this to you shortly,” he wrote.

“Staff who were suspended due to their vaccination status will receive correspondence from the department about their individual circumstances.

“Suspensions will remain in place until June 30 and staff will be required to return to duty from the first working day of term 3, which is July 11.”

Mr De’Ath said talks had also been held with unions and key stakeholders.

Teachers at a rally over the mandates.

The announcement coincided with a deadline today for education staff to provide show cause letters outlining why they were not vaccinated.

It came after urgent directions from the Education Department to principals to appoint all eligible staff for permanent positions before the end of this week.

Principals were also advised to “risk manage” unvaccinated staff returning to schools.

Teachers’ Professional Association of Queensland secretary Tracy Tully said the directives to principals would mean that some suspended teachers would no longer have jobs and principals would have to “risk manage” staff transfers.

Ms Tully said under strict Education Department guidelines, suspended teachers had to give two week’s notice if they wanted to return to their former positions.

She questioned the timing of today’s announcement and said the news was still being digested by the state’s 1500 suspended education staff.

“We found out the mandate was being lifted today with the premier’s announcement – which stinks coming on the last day of the school term,” Ms Tully said.

“Schools are closed for two weeks and now principals will be expected to be on call over this time to draw up a strategy for staffing for the next term.

“This should not have been a decision announced today at the end of the financial year.

“What we want now is clarity over which staff will be allowed to re-enter the workplace.”

Principals from the private and independent sectors were warning parents that unvaccinated teachers would be returning to classrooms ahead of the premier’s announcement on Friday.

Ms Tully said the cautions to parents were divisive and would ostracise unvaccinated teachers.

One suspended teacher who asked to remain anonymous, said he was still awaiting confirmation from his state school to find out when he would be returning to work.

“I am thankful that it’s finally over and I can resume life like a normal human being,” he said.

“It gives me a lot of relief that I can provide for my family and I am looking forward to some normality.

“I am still waiting to find out my fate but nobody has contacted me yet from my school so I am not sure when I will return yet.”