‘They’re essential’: Region’s principals join forces in boarding school fight

A Toowoomba principal recently called out the State Government for hurting boarding students and now more schools have joined the fight

TEAM EFFORT: Fighting to include boarding staff as essential workers are college principals (from left) Tanya Appelby, Linda Evans, Kyle Thompson, Anton Prinsloo and Sharon Collins. Picture: Daniel Lafarga

Tension has continued to rise over the State Government’s Covid-19 restrictions for essential workers, with several Toowoomba principals calling it out.

Fairholme College principal Linda Evans recently wrote a letter to Education Minister Grace Grace requesting the current rules be changed to include boarding school staff members as critically essential.

“When teachers leave campus at the end of their school day, the sole responsibility for boarders rests with boarding staff – expert in their care, this includes boarding supervisors, nurses, tutors, catering staff, cleaners, wellbeing coaches and counsellors,” Dr Evans said.

“Like aged care facilities, boarding schools operate 24 hours a day and the services they offer are inextricably interconnected … students may be as young as 11 and in the season of Covid could be required to isolate for a seven day period.

“Their care and wellbeing sits at the heart of boarding school operations – it is not the jurisdiction nor the expertise of teaching staff.”

TEAM EFFORT: Fighting to include boarding staff as essential workers are college principals (from left) Tanya Appelby, Linda Evans, Kyle Thompson, Anton Prinsloo and Sharon Collins. Picture: Daniel Lafarga

Several of the region’s college principals have now joined the fight with Dr Evans and put their name to the letter which was sent to the State Government.

The added support come from Tanya Appleby from St Ursula’s, Sharon Collins from St Saviour’s, Simon Lees from Toowoomba Anglican School, Stephen Koch from Downlands, Anton Prinsloo from Concordia and Kyle Thompson from SCOTS PGC.

“Boarders matter and their care is a complex matter of school operation that simply cannot be redirected to teachers,” Dr Evans said.

“We seek our government’s support to recognise the requirements of boarding schools to operate in the best interests of student wellbeing.

“At this time, this means an exemption for boarding staff (all) to be classified as critical and essential workers- as they are.”

Fairholme College principal Linda Evans. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Dr Evans said she had received no response to date from the letters sent.

Ms Grace previously told The Chronicle the rules for essential workers was a matter for Queensland Health.

A spokeswoman for Queensland Health said a close contact was at the highest risk of contracting Covid-19.

“Queensland has made a provision, similar to other provisions made throughout the pandemic, for essential services or sectors to continue operating in as safe a manner as possible,” the spokeswoman said.

“The list of critical industries is deliberately small to reduce the likely spread of Covid-19.

“If an industry is not listed, employers can still request class or individual exemptions for their workers.”

Businesses can view criteria and apply for an exemption for their workers online at qld.gov.au.

Letter:

Dear Minister

As principals of Boarding Schools on the Darling Downs we write to express our joint concern regarding the limitations inherent within the existing classification of critical essential workers under the Direction. We understand that both Independent Schools Queensland and the Australian Boarding Schools Association have already drawn these concerns to your attention.

Currently, under this classification, the only workers in a school environment deemed to be critical and essential are teachers. Whilst some schools employ staff in their Boarding Schools from the teaching population, many do not. In fact, a number of Boarding Houses are staffed solely by non-teaching staff – no Boarding School operates exclusively with teachers. Thus, the directive that none of these non-teaching employees are either critical or essential is folly. In a health crisis, such a classification could render a boarding facility inoperable.

In any residential setting which provides care for people of vulnerability, namely our aged and our young, support operates for 24 hours per day. In schools, this is not limited to, but is certainly exemplified by the end of the academic day which heralds the commencement of sole responsibility for these young people. In these hours, young people are in the care of boarding supervisors, sports coaches, tutors, social workers, counsellors, caterers, cleaners and nurses. In some circumstances, teachers form this critical mass required, but only some. It would be akin to stating that Aged Care Homes operate effectively with a staff made up exclusively of nurses.

We hope never to have to invoke the critically essential worker principle in our schools. We have placed every mitigating strategy accessible to us to prevent this from occurring. But COVID is bigger than us. It is unpredictable and its spread cannot be contained with predictability. We may find ourselves with a staffing shortage. Academic staff whose work is entirely in the day school cannot fill the shoes of those who care for boarders. They can’t operate the Health Centre, they can’t provide meals for hundreds, they aren’t practised at counselling a homesick child at midnight, nor are they conversant with the logistics of lights out. It’s not their job.

We want to know that there are staffing options available to us, should a sudden health crisis impact our boarding schools. We want consideration for our boarders whose access to face-to-face learning is dependent upon boarding schools being operational. All schools provide for a range of students, many with specific needs, and some with vulnerabilities and

complexities. These needs are met by a diversity of staff with their own specialisations. Boarding staff have unique skills utilised around the clock to provide care for boarding students. Their work is first and foremost about the safety and wellbeing of boarding students. They are undeniably critical and essential workers within our schools, and, as such, need to be classified accordingly. Like teachers, they too are shaping the lives of young people.

Yours sincerely

Tanya Appelby

Principal |St Ursula’s College

Sharon Collins

Principal |St. Saviours

Linda Evans

Principal |Fairholme College

Simon Lees

Head of School |Toowoomba Anglican School

Anton Prinsloo

Head of College |Concordia Lutheran College

Kyle Thompson

Principal |Scots PGC Warwick

Stephen Koch

Principal |Downlands College