Covid cluster at Giant Steps Gladesville school for students with autism

A Covid cluster has broken out in North Shore school and parents want to know why vaccinating the students wasn’t prioritised.

A Covid cluster has broken out in a special needs school in Sydney’s north, causing outrage in advocates and parents attempting to limit the fallout for some of the city’s “most vulnerable” children.

NSW Health has confirmed at least seven students and three staff members from Giant Steps Gladesville have tested positive for Covid.

Eight family members of students have also contracted the virus, bringing the total number of cases connected with the school to 18.

Cluster... Giant Steps school in Gladesville. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

The school, which has about 80 students, educates children from kindergarten to young adults with severe autism.

The cluster first came to the school’s attention on August 5 after a staff member tested positive. The school was closed following the staff member’s diagnosis.

Two days later, NSW Health informed the school that a student had also tested positive.

“NSW Health is working with the school, which is closed, to support students, their families and staff in isolation,” a spokeswoman for the department said last night.

The Giant Steps school in Gladesville has about 80 students. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Autism Awareness Australia chief executive Nicole Rogerson said she had spent the afternoon on the phone to parents at the school, who were “devastated”.

“This school takes care of students with autism, many of whom have quite severe autism. It is really important this school remains open and remains safe,” she said.

“A lot of these children, a lot of the students, wouldn’t understand what Covid is, what a pandemic is, or social distancing.”

She said the students would find it “too confusing” to understand their routine had changed.

Mrs Rogerson accused the government of botching the vaccine rollout, saying students with severe disabilities should have been prioritised.

“The federal government stuffed the vaccine rollout so badly and now we are having a conversation about these children, some of the most vulnerable, in a Covid cluster,” she said.

“In comparison, St Joseph’s College up the road had their Year 12 students vaccinated, but there wasn’t an emphasis on vaccinating these students, parents or the staff (at Giant Steps).”

“At this point, the fallout is managing these kids in isolation at the moment, that’s all anyone is thinking about.

“They need to keep them safe from themselves and keep their families safe when they don’t understand what happened.”

Giant Steps and the federal health department have been contacted for comment.