Deadline for teachers to get booster jab extended for those who’ve caught Covid

State schools are being forced to fork out tens of thousands of dollars from their own budgets to replace teachers who have been forced to isolate.

State government schools are being forced to fork out tens of thousands of dollars from their own budgets to replace teachers who have been forced to isolate.

Principals have told the Herald Sun their schools had almost reached their term one budget thresholds having to bring on additional relief teachers. There are also fears the shortages will cause class sizes to expand if more teachers are forced to isolate.

Principals say the budget blowouts could also affect other crucial school programs, including support programs and maintenance upgrades.

A primary school principal from Melbourne’s north said the budget blowouts had caused “enormous stress” for the school.

“I’ve had seven staff who have either tested positive or have to isolate because they’re a household contact of someone – at the moment we have to cover the cost of replacements ourselves,” the principal said. “If it were to continue we would suffer a significant financial burden.

“We have almost exhausted our term one budget of $35,000.’’

A principal from a secondary school in Melbourne’s southeast said it had already spent $36,000 of its budget on replacement teachers. “The state government should absolutely assist us with these costs,” she said.

Deakin University chair of epidemiology Professor Catherine Bennett said it was time for health advice to shift to a case-by-case management approach because precautionary isolation requirements were no longer sustainable for schools with cases becoming more manageable.

“We can’t afford to keep doing that and we don’t have the longer-term capacity to do that. It’s about trying to tailor it now to individual circumstances and actual risk,” Professor Bennett said. “It’s about trying to get the balance right between keeping the workforce viable for the management of our education system.’’

A Department of Education spokeswoman said staff absences in Victorian schools were reportedly lower than in 2021, but the state government would continue to support schools dealing with teaching staff shortages.

CHANGES TO TEACHER BOOSTER JAB DEADLINE

Teachers unable to receive their booster vaccine by March 15 will have an additional four months to book their third dose if they have been infected with Covid.

A letter distributed to the Department of Education, obtained by the Herald Sun, lists a series of exceptions to the deadline for teaching staff who have contracted Covid or have been a close contact of a positive case.

If a teacher’s positive Covid result is confirmed by a PCR test, they can wait up to four months after their isolation period ends to receive a booster shot.

Teachers whose isolation periods ended before midnight on February 4 and who reported their positive rapid tests to the Department of Health are also eligible for the extension.

Staff have been asked to apply for their vaccination extensions and to update their jab records through an online portal, which does not require staff to submit documentation verifying their vaccination status.

Instead, teachers must sign a form declaring their jab status is accurate.

“If you were unable to receive your third dose by a nominated deadline because you were recovering from a recent Covid-19 infection, you have an additional 4 months from the end of your isolation period to receive your third dose, provided your recent infection is confirmed by a PCR test,” the letter read.

In another change, the March 15 cut-off no longer applies to staff who received their second vaccine after October 25, but they will be required to receive a booster vaccine three months and two weeks after their second dose.

The Department of Education did not respond directly to questions about how it could verify the authenticity of PCR or rapid antigen tests if staff were not required to upload documentation, or about why the third dose deadline had been extended.

Under updated advice released on Tuesday, all education workers have until 25 March to be up to date with their vaccinations if they want to attend school grounds.

“Fully vaccinated workers who aren’t yet eligible for a third dose will have a third dose deadline of three months and two weeks from when they had their second dose,” the advice read.