Coronavirus Australia school closures: What's happening in every state
Some Australians schools are closing early for the holidays, others are going online for a few weeks. Here’s what is happening in your state or territory.
States and territories around Australia have declared their varying stances on school closures despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday announcing “children should go to school”.
He said the health advice from the Australian Health Principal Protection Committee had not changed.
“I do not want to see our children lose an entire year of their education,” Mr Morrison said.
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He said “all leaders” had committed to reopening schools at the end of the school break, or Easter holidays, “subject to the advice” of the AHPPC.
“If parents choose to keep their children home from school, parents must be responsible for the conduct of the children and to ensure they adhere to the social distancing arrangements in place,” Mr Morrison said.
“Parents must be aware that while the majority of adults who contract COVID-19 have mild forms of the virus, the elderly or those with comorbidities can have more significant symptoms.”
Check the situation in your state or territory below.
NEW SOUTH WALES
In contrast to the prime minister's stance, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday morning urged parents to "keep their children at home".
She said 30 per cent of parents had already made the choice to keep their kids at home and the state government feels it is “the best course to follow” in regards to the state health advice.
Schools in NSW will be staying open from Tuesday for children of "parents who have no option".
“For practical reasons, in NSW we will be encouraging parents to keep their children at home,” Ms Berejiklian told reporters.
“However I want to stress that for parents who have no option, for parents who are workers, that have no option, the schools will remain open. No child will be turned away from school.”
She said there will be “one unit of teaching” and not separate classes for students at school or at home.
“It will be one unit of teaching that makes it simple and practical and that is the strongest advice we can provide to parents today,” she said.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said: “No student will be turned away from a NSW public school at this time. We have resources ready to go, we are well equipped to do this in NSW.”
Term two is due to commence on April 27.
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VICTORIA
Victoria has already acted, announcing it was bringing forward Easter holidays to Tuesday.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews declared the state’s plan prior to Sunday night’s national cabinet meeting.
On Monday morning, he said term two is scheduled to begin on April 14, “unless I have medical advice not to proceed with term two at school”.
“I'm not making that announcement today," he said.
"We have taken the decision, and the Chief Health Officer of Victoria is completely comfortable and supportive of this, to bring forward the school holidays and to spend these precious days without kids at school to plan for remote, flexible, distance learning in the evident that we need to move to that way of teaching and learning."
This means by Monday afternoon, Victorian students will be on a three-week break.
The premier said all measures to be implemented in Victoria “are consistent with the health advice” provided by the Victorian Chief Health Officer Dr Brett Sutton.
“The decision whether to re-open schools after the term one holidays will likewise be determined following advice from the Chief Health Officer,” he said.
QUEENSLAND
Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace said schools were open on Monday and "will remain open" until the last day of term on April 3.
But parents can choose "whether or not they wish to send their children to school".
She said if this decision is made, parents have three responsibilities – to advise the school their child or children won't be attending to ensure the wellbeing of students, to continue with online learning materials available on the education department's website, and to ensure the students practise social distancing.
"The responsibility for children not going to school will be solely with the parents and carers … and we ask that they adhere to these requests," she said.
She urged parents and children to stay off school grounds if they are sick.
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Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she understands the anxiety being felt by teachers, and said anyone in high-risk categories should discuss their situation with their principal.
But she said she would continue to act on medical advice that it's still safe for kids to go to school.
If and when that advice changed, school operations could change, she said.
“I want to reiterate to parents out there that we have been doing everything possible since the end of January,” Ms Palaszczuk said on Monday.
“We have been testing, testing, testing. We have been making sure that we are contact tracing as much as possible.”
However, Queensland teachers, who don't want to be named out of fear they’ll lose their jobs, have told AAP government schools lack hand sanitiser and soap, and there is no possible way for them to enforce the four-square-metres per person rule in classrooms.
They're also angered by the federal government's ongoing assurances that infected children rarely get very sick with the virus, but say no-one is talking about what might happen to teachers if they're infected by students.
"Teachers have been thrown under the bus. Teachers are used to making do, and doing what's best for the kids, but it seems that the government isn't thinking about us," one southeast Queensland primary school teacher told AAP.
The Queensland Education Union, which initially backed the schools open policy, has hardened its stance and his now questioning how there can be two sets of rules about social distancing.
"You cannot argue that the whole community should shut down, and we should keep our schools open without any change," union president Kevin Bates has told ABC radio.
Term two is due to commence on April 20.
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
ACT schools will close on Tuesday as teachers plan how to keep classes operating during the coronavirus pandemic.
But Chief Minister Andrew Barr today said they will remain open to students who "absolutely need to attend".
"What we are endeavouring to do is (see) the school population, the number of students who would physically need to go to school each day, would be considerably less so we can space them out more," he told ABC Radio.
ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry yesterday said a case of COVID-19 had been identified as connected to Lyneham High School, forcing its closure on Monday.
The decision the ACT Government has made is consistent with NSW and Vic and won’t change. I don’t know why the PM suggested otherwise. Education will continue to be phased in for on line/ distance learning.
— Yvette Berry Member for Ginninderra📠(@YvetteSBerry) March 22, 2020
Call me anytime you have my number. https://t.co/v9F3cQdKrY
The school is now seeking to identify and notify any people who have been in recent contact with the affected person, as well as organising a thorough clean of facilities.
Staff, students, parents and carers are not required to self-quarantine at home unless they have already been contacted directly by ACT Health. But anyone who is unwell should stay at home.
All other ACT schools will be open on Monday but will start pupil-free days from Tuesday through to the school holidays.
Term two is due to commence on April 28.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
South Australian schools are set to remain open for now with a view to helping slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Premier Steven Marshall said the message from health experts was very clear.
“Send your children to school. If we do this we will slow the spread of the disease,” Mr Marshall told radio 5AA on Monday.
“But having said that, there are some parents who would like to have their children out of school.”
Mr Marshall said schools would also need to provide more flexible learning options for parents who believed they could supervise their children and look after them at home.
But he said that was not going to be the situation in every single case.
“The schools in South Australia have been doing an exceptional job and we will move towards more flexible arrangements over the coming days and weeks,” he said.
“Some schools are already there … some students can’t go to school so we’ve had to provide lessons and learning plans for them at home.
“Now we have to do it on a much larger scale.”
I understand that the decision to close SA’s borders will be hard on many South Australians and businesses. But we have taken this action to protect people’s health and save lives. These are unprecedented times and call for unprecedented measures. pic.twitter.com/gYN1odIt3G
— Steven Marshall, MP (@marshall_steven) March 22, 2020
The SA opposition on Monday reaffirmed earlier statements that daily temperature checks and staggered recess and lunch breaks were needed if schools were to remain open.
The opposition urged the government to implement strict new rules, including having hand sanitiser in every classroom.
Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas said if SA schools remained open, the government needed to do more to implement protective measures.
“The government is holding up Singapore as a leading example and they have taken these proactive steps, such as daily temperature checks for all staff and students,” Mr Malinauskas said.
“We cannot have a situation where classrooms don’t have hand sanitiser because they’ve run out.”
Term two is due to commence on April 27.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
WA Premier Mark McGowan on Monday said schools will remain open until the end of term one, finishing April 9, but they will "relax the law and provide parents with choice" whether to send their children to school.
"I have always said that closing schools is a last resort but I understand many parents are concerned and want to keep their children home at this time," he said.
"It is for that reason that we will relax the law and provide parents with choice.
"If parents decide not to send their kids to school, we will not enforce the law that requires you to do so. But I stress, if parents do decide to keep their children home, parents must abide by all other laws and that includes all new social distance, social distancing rules that have been introduced."
Many non-government schools will provide access to online and distance learning while in the public system, parents and students will have access to resources to see out the remainder of the term.
Mr McGowan said he understood many parents and education staff were worried.
Yesterday, he confirmed the Education Department was looking at ways to prepare for potential school closures.
He said the government was considering the possibility of bringing school holidays forward and offering the curriculum online.
Mr McGowan said “all those things are being looked at, especially for Year 11 and 12 students”.
“Whatever happens with schools, we have to make sure that essential services workers can continue to work and we have to protect grandparents and the elderly,” the premier said.
If there is a confirmed COVID-19 case at a school in WA, the decision to close is based on the expert advice from the state’s top health officer, Dr Andrew Robertson.
“The Chief Health Officer will, if there has been a positive COVID-19 test result in a school, close the school temporarily while assessment and tracing of exposure is conducted. A thorough school clean will then be carried out to make the school safe for the return of students and staff,” the department website states.
“In this situation, all families will be immediately contacted by the school and provided with the relevant information.”
Term two is due to commence on April 28.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
Territory schools will remain open for now until the school holidays, starting on Good Friday on April 10.
But Chief Minister Michael Gunner today said from Tuesday, “and for the rest of this term, the decision to send kids to school will be a choice for parents”.
“I know a lot of parents are feeling anxious right now during these times. I trust parents to know what is best for them and their kids,” he said.
“If you want to keep kids at home for the remainder of this term, that's okay. But they have to be at home.”
He said the NT would do the same as Victoria and spend the intervening time making sure there are “flexible arrangements” in place by the end of the break.
“From term two, it is my expectation that education will be compulsory again,” Mr Gunner said.
“There are a lot of changes happening and not everyone will agree, but let's all agree that our kids should keep learning.”
He thanked teachers for being on the “front line” and urged them to ensure their welfare is “paramount through all this”.
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said the risk to schoolchildren from the virus was very low.
“The consensus view of all of the chief health officers is schools should stay open,” he said on Sunday.
Term two is due to commence on April 20.
TASMANIA
In addressing the topic on Monday, Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein acknowledged "there has been much community angst" regarding schools.
"Tasmanian schools will remain open for the time being," he said.
"We recognise the incredibly important role that our schools play supporting the education and wellbeing of Tasmania's children and young people and the advice of the AHPPC is unchanged on this matter."
However, he said parents and carers can keep children at home from Wednesday, March 25 if they wish.
"If they're at home they must be at home. This does not mean take your children out of school and let them go on holiday," Mr Gutwein said.
He expanded on the advice from the federal medical committee which "strongly supports keeping schools open".
"The AHPPC has not supported the closure of schools, given the lack of evidence of significant disease in children and the lack of reported major disease spreading in schools.
"Furthermore, the closure of schools poses a major risk to children's education, their mental health and wellbeing, particularly those from low socio-economic regions, where schools provide an important environment for nurturing and learning.
"The impact on the critical workforce and potential exposure of elderly residents while caring for children is also of significance."
Mr Gutwein said term dates remain the same.
"We'll review our school situation after the term one holidays provide further advice then. We'll also be providing further advice in the coming days in terms of childcare centres and TAFE," he said.
Term two is due to commence on April 27.
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