Poll reveals Queenslanders want their kids back in classrooms

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is standing firm on keeping children out of school until the middle of next month, saying it would be ‘unusual’ to have schools fully open at the moment.

PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk has said she will not be rushed into sending children back to school en masse.

At her morning press conference, Ms Palaszczuk said she didn’t believe there was a list of countries that had opened up their schools.

“If someone can provide me with a full list I’m happy to look at that list, but it is very unusual in these times to have schools fully open,” she said.

“So what we’ve seen is health advice in relation to the classroom, I said that we’ll make our decision on May 15, I can’t be many clearer on that, there will be a lot of discussions happening, but there is concern about teachers in their staffrooms and also the school before pick up and after pick up.

“We are not going to rush this, we are going to get this right, and I will not put the lives of our teachers, our principals, our school community and our parents and our children at risk.

“We will take a measured response to this.”
It comes as more than 8500 people voted in a Courier-Mail reader poll over the weekend, with the overwhelming majority believing children should be back at school.

Of the 8592 voters on the online poll, 26 per cent of people believe Queensland kids should stay home, while a whopping 71 per cent voted for kids to return to classrooms.

Three per cent of voters were unsure on the matter.

Ms Palaszczuk told the ABC this morning reiterated that safety was the key.

“We will open our schools when we are ready, we will look at the medical advice, and also we will be listening to views of the principals and making sure that the classrooms are safe, that the tearooms and the staffrooms are safe, and that the pick up and the drop off is safe," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"I will not be rushed into that until we have every measure in place, because safety is absolutely the key."

Among comments of both criticism and support for the Premier on The Courier-Mail story, some readers questioned the logistics surrounding schools reopening.

"If schools reopen, does that mean all bets are off. These students will have to get to and from school somehow … (Will we) have 40 to 50 on a school bus and less on general services. Does that mean the current 1.5 metres separation is not required anymore," one reader said.

Another asked why kids were unlikely to spread the virus.
"We keep hearing that children hardly ever contract it or spread it – but I've NEVER heard an explanation why. Can someone please explain to me in scientific terms why children hardly ever get it or spread it, I just don't understand – what is the mechanism for this?"

Under Education Queensland rules, state school students must stay home until at least May 22, unless they are the children of “essential workers’’ who can’t supervise them at home, or “vulnerable children’’ known to Child Safety, Youth Justice or from certain Aboriginal communities.

Ms Palaszczuk is set to review school openings from May 15.

Originally published as Poll reveals Queenslanders want their kids back in classrooms