Covid, NSW: Teachers concerned about return to classrooms

Students are set to return to the classroom in a few weeks time, yet principals and teachers are still in the dark regarding how they will manage to do their job amid the escalating Omicron crisis.

There are growing concerns among teachers and across the state regarding how schools will look once Term 1 begins at the end of January.

Deputy president of the NSW Teachers Federation, Henry Rajendra, said his members were worried about what’s ahead of them when students return to the classroom.

“This is a time when teachers and principals should be getting a little bit of rest,” Mr Rajendra, who lives in the Illawarra, said.

“Instead, due to the escalating number of cases they are turning their attention to what they need to prepare for the commencement of the 2022 school year.

“I’ve spoken to principals who are very concerned because their plans for term four were not for the Omicron variant. They’re very concerned about the health and safety of students and their staff and they’re concerned about what support they’re getting from the department.”

Public school educators across the state went on strike last month as a result of what the union has identified as unsustainable workloads and uncompetitive salaries leading to a growing teacher shortage.

There are more than 1200 vacancies across the state, including nearly 80 in the Illawarra, and Mr Rajendra said without a proper plan for a safe return to the classroom, countless schools across the state could end up being forced to close.

“Principals are concerned about staffing shortages as a result of infection which we have seen with other industries,” he said.

“There is already a teacher shortage in NSW. There are more than 1200 unfilled vacancies so we are facing a significant number of schools being non-operational compared to term four as a result of staff getting Covid.”

The education department has said it is working closely with NSW Health “to finalise school settings for the start of the new school year and detailed advice for term 1 will be made available soon”.

The department is meeting with the Teachers Federation on Friday afternoon to discuss the matter, however, Mr Rajendra has called for there to be greater consultation with the union going forward.

“We have a scheduled meeting with the department for later this afternoon,” he said.

“We will raise the serious concerns we have as we’ve seen the number of positive cases dramatically increase in the last short period of time.

“We know nothing of those discussions (between the education department and NSW Health). We‘re in the regrettable situation where a lot of the information from the government is first shared from the media without any due regard for teachers and principals.”

Teachers are concerned about the return to school amid the Omicron crisis. Picture: Nikki Short

Some of the key questions the Federation wants answered relate to the vaccine rollout in school-aged children, rapid antigen testing and classroom ventilation.

“We will be raising the matters of risk mitigation strategies, particularly around five to 12 year olds’ access to vaccinations,” Mr Rajendra said.

“We are hearing of parents now facing cancelled bookings due to a lack of supply and let’s not forget for a child to be fully vaccinated they need to be double dosed, which under the current health guidelines is eight weeks between each dose - so 5 to 12 year olds won’t be fully vaccinated by the commencement of Term 1.

“We want to know what the plan is regarding the use of rapid antigen tests. There is an obvious procurement issue, so there‘s no point talking up rapid antigen tests when none are available. We will need a lot on hand and for them to be available at any given need.

“There are also a lot of issues about ventilation in classrooms, particularly when positive cases are at an unprecedented high.”

A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education said its main priority if the safety and wellbeing of staff and students.

“Our main priority as we enter the 2022 school year remains the safety and wellbeing of our staff and students,” they said.

“The Department is working closely with NSW Health to finalise school settings for the start of the new school year, and detailed advice for Term 1, including the use of Rapid Antigen Home Tests, will be made available to school communities shortly.

“We encourage parents to book a vaccination appointment for their child as soon as possible, as evidence shows vaccination offers excellent protection against COVID-19 for children and helps keep your family safe and well.”

The office of Education Minister Sarah Mitchell has been contacted for comment.