Premier backtracks on triple-vax mandate for parents at schools

Daniel Andrews claims a statement on a government website stating parents must be triple-vaxxed to step on school grounds was a gaffe and not an attempt to mandate.

The state government has backed down on its plans to require parents to be triple-vaxxed in order to enter school buildings or attend events.

Premier Daniel Andrews acknowledged the embarrassing gaffe, attributing it to a government website which he concedes was “wrong”.

The government website stated that parents had until March 15 to be triple-vaccinated in order to go on school campuses for events and meetings.

Education Department staff and a senior staffer in the office of Education Minister James Merlino last night insisted the statement was correct.

But Mr Andrews claimed his government hadn’t been contacted about the mandate, despite the Herald Sun first raising the issue with state officials on February 14 and again on February 15.

Mr Andrews has handballed the issue to Education Minister James Merlino to clarify.

“As for parents, rather than adding to anything less than clarity, I’ll get the Education Minister to deal with that,” he said.

“I concede to you that there’s a line on the website that is ambiguous. It’s wrong, I think is the better way to put it.”

The Premier has said the statement calling for all parents to be triple-vaxxed by March 15 is wrong.

“As I understand it, what’s reported today around parents not being able to go to schools comes from some confusion, I apologise for any confusion, there’s a line on the website that wasn’t right,” he said.

“That was drawn to our attention by the news coverage today, it wasn’t raised with us yesterday. If it had been, we probably could have cleared it up. We will now clear it and up the Education Minister is the person to do that.”

The Herald Sun did repeatedly raise the issue before the story was published and it was not “cleared up”.

Mr Andrews reiterated that it was mandatory that teachers, staff, contractors and other people attending school grounds for work purposes must be tripled vaccinated.

Despite insisting the policy was correct on Tuesday night before the story was published, the Department of Education told the Herald Sun on Wednesday morning that its “policy website was incorrectly updated to reflect third-dose mandates for parents and carers”.

“The School Operations Guide specifies that a third dose is required for all staff and visitors working on school sites, for example parents working in canteens or volunteering in classrooms, but is not yet required for parents and carers visiting school sites,” the department spokesman said.

“Parents and carers visiting school sites are currently required to be double vaccinated. We are still working through the updated ATAGI advice and will have more to say imminently about the definition of fully-vaccinated for other cohorts.”

PARENTS BANNED FROM SCHOOLS OVER MANDATE

Earlier today, it was believed two-thirds of parents in some parts of Melbourne would be blocked within weeks from attending events at their child’s school under the little-known vaccination mandate.

The rule would have essentially banned parents from entering their children’s school buildings and attend events such as concerts, award nights and fetes.

Only 51.6 per cent of all Victorian adults have had a third vaccine dose, with 10,312 booster jabs being delivered in the last 24 hours.

This means just under half of all parents across the state would not be able to participate in school activities unless they were to get jabbed in the next few weeks or have a valid medical exemption.

Before the Premier walked back the claim, parents called it “ridiculous” and an “over-reach”.

Only 38.6 per cent of eligible Hume residents have received three Covid vaccines, while 41.8 per cent of Brimbank are triple-jabbed.

A total of 42.6 per cent of Melton residents and 42.1 per cent of Whittlsea residents have received their third dose, along with 39.5 per cent of adults in central Melbourne.

Most schools have not communicated the rule clearly to parents although it is in the most recent operations guide provided to schools.

The rule does not include parents briefly coming onto school grounds for drop-off or pick-up but they cannot enter buildings or attend events.

Teaching and support staff have been told they are required to have had three jabs by March 15 in order to keep working, but parents at present only need two jabs to be on campus.

Most schools have not communicated the rule clearly to parents. Picture: Marshall

The March 15 mandate does not include private schools, but they are encouraged to adopt it. A number of schools have already done so, with one parent from an elite boys’ school calling it “a complete over reach”.

“I’m double vaccinated, it’s a complete joke to allow this for visitors to the school,” he said.

“We are law abiding citizens. Even though I probably will need to do it, I don’t like to be intimidated into it.

“These very same rules that are meant to protect us, are destroying the quality of our lives,” he said.

Vaccination is not mandatory for students but is strongly encouraged.

Leesa Hutchins, who has four children attending secondary and primary schools in Melbourne’s southeast, said the third-dose mandate at schools was “ridiculous”.

“It’s time to stop now, we’ve done everything that they’ve asked us to do. Kids are experiencing anxiety, this isn’t a natural way for them to live where their parents aren’t allowed to go where they are,” she said.

Parents Victoria chief executive Gail McHardy said it was crucial for the Department of Education to help all schools keep parents informed about their child’s learning when the mandate came into effect.

Sisters, Grace Rogers 7 and Bonnie Rogers, 5, after their first Covid vaccinations, which is not mandatory but strongly encouraged. Picture: Richard Jupe

“Every school community context could be very different, like secondary or primary, the number and size of potential events or activities and parental engagement opportunities at the school,” Ms McHardy said.

Victorian Principals’ Association president Andrew Dalgleish said schools had to comply with the health orders and requirements of the state government.

“School leaders again will be asking parents to understand and be patient and tolerant,” Mr Dalgleish.

“The majority will understand and we have seen that right through the pandemic, if we look over the past few weeks, our schools have continued to operate even with active cases in the community and active cases with students and staff.”

A Department of Health spokesman urged all eligible Victorians to book in their booster vaccine.

“The best thing Victorians can do to protect themselves from COVID-19 is to get their third dose as soon as they’re eligible,” the spokesman said.

Opposition Education spokesman David Hodgett said mandating vaccinations for the general community was unnecessary.

“Whilst the Victorian Liberal Nationals support vaccinations for everyone, we feel that excluding parents is an unnecessary overreach and detrimental to students’ interests,” he said.