James Merlino slams ‘reckless’ head lashed for school return plan

Victoria Education Minister has slammed Fitzroy Community School principal for plan to have half his pupils return next week.

Students are returning to physical attendance at Fitzroy Community School during the COVID-19 pandemic. Principal Tim Berryman with his children L to R Abigaelle, 6, Christian, 10, Charlotte, 12, and Xavier, 8. Picture: Mark Stewart.

Victorian Education Minister James Merlino has accused the principal of a private primary school in Melbourne’s inner north of being “reckless” for planning a return to face-to-face lessons next week, despite governments in other states and territories supporting classroom learning for the majority of students.

Fitzroy Community School principal Tim Berryman has told the Herald Sun he expects to have half the school’s 120 students in the classroom next week, despite the Andrews government decreeing that “children who can learn from home, must learn from home”.

Mr Merlino said on Thursday the school’s decision “flies in the face of the Chief Health Officer’s clear advice”.

“If every school in Victoria took such a reckless decision we would have a million students congregating at school sites, meaning we don’t slow the spread of the virus, putting lives at risk,” he said.

Mr Berryman said he was following medical advice that schools were safe.

“I went through the data and made an evidence-based decision”, the principal said.

Australian Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy last week said it remained safe for children to be at school, and that staff could be protected through appropriate physical distancing measures.

However, Professor Murphy’s Victorian counterpart, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, has advised the Victorian government that “to slow the spread of coronavirus, schools should undertake remote learning for term two,” arguing that having “around a million children and their parents in closer contact with each other, teachers and other support staff has the potential to increase cases of coronavirus not just in schools but across the community.”

Opposition frontbencher Tim Smith said Mr Merlino’s comments were “stupid and reckless”.

“James Merlino is scaremongering and he ought to apologise to the principal of a private primary school who was simply following the health advice of the Chief Medical Officer of the country,” Mr Smith said.

“Mr Merlino ought to apologise to him for fearmongering to the parents and students at that school.”

Mr Smith quoted Professor Murphy, who last week told the New Zealand parliament’s epidemic response committee “”We're concerned our governments are keeping schools closed not from a health recommendation but almost because of parental fear and some reaction in local governments.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week said decisions over students returning to school were the business of state and territory governments.

“If you are going to school in Victoria there is only one person you need to listen to and that is the Premier of Victoria,” Mr Morrison said.

“I think it is very clear that the medical expert advice is. Children are safe to go to school, but there are issues within each state about the delivery of education, which they are going to take into account, which means that they will be operating on slightly different bases.”