Coronavirus: James Busby High teachers raise health and safety concerns
Teachers at a southwest Sydney school are calling on the State Government to help them properly deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, with reports they are running out of sanitiser and students were ‘joke coughing’.
Liverpool
Don't miss out on the headlines from Liverpool. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- First look at Edmondson Park station parking design
- Confirmed coronavirus cases in the Campbelltown area
- School re-opens after coronavirus scare
Teachers at a southwest Sydney school have raised concerns over a lack of hand sanitiser and cleaning supplies while reporting students have been purposely “joke coughing” as the coronavirus crisis continues to grip the state.
Members of the NSW Teachers Federation at James Busby High School passed a motion this week calling on the NSW Government to provide enough resources needed for schools to properly practise hygiene and social distancing guidelines.
Schools remain open in NSW, but the government has encouraged parents to keep students at home where possible.
Teachers from James Busby expressed concerns over a lack of hand sanitiser, cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment, as well as the sharing of desks and equipment.
They also reported students purposely “joke coughing” and incidents of racism towards students and teachers.
The long list of issues faced by staff on the frontline were laid bare in the motion, with many teachers struggling to follow government guidelines to keep their own children at home while having to attend school.
Up to eight people have been infected by COVID-19 in the Campbelltown and Liverpool areas through contact with other community members, as the number of confirmed cases in NSW rises to 1029.
“Beyond our concern for our immediate and extended families we are also required to shoulder considerable responsibility with respect to the health of students and the broader community,” the motion read.
“The department’s operational, hygiene and social distancing guidelines that have been issued to schools have not been matched by the necessary resources, or the additional advice required when parts of the protocol become impossible to implement.”
Teachers urged the government to close any public school “in which the department’s operational, hygiene and social distancing guidelines cannot be upheld or remedied quickly” until the health and safety of staff and students were secured.
The Education Department has been contacted for comment.