Schools to remain open but parents encouraged to keep their children home
Parents are being asked to keep their children at home, but schools will remain open for children of parents performing essential jobs and vulnerable families.
Coronavirus
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TASMANIAN parents are being asked to keep their children home from school from Monday as coronavirus protection measures escalate.
But schools will remain open for children of parents performing essential jobs such as health care and emergency workers.
It comes after the State Government this week announced the school holidays would be brought forward by four days to start on April 6.
This was to give teachers and support staff more time to prepare for the delivery of online learning in term two.
The latest response in an effort to limit the spread of coronavirus will see falling attendance rates plummet even further.
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The Education Department said the preliminary statewide attendance rate was 50.6 per cent on Wednesday and 44.2 per cent on Thursday.
“As of Monday, the advice is for those parents who can keep their children at home and supervise them, then they should,” Premier Peter Gutwein said on Friday.
“Schools will remain open for the children of essential workers. They will remain open for any parent who doesn’t have the ability or support available to them to provide adequate supervision and learning support [at home].”
Opposition leader Rebecca White said the advice from Government was changing daily and was confusing for students, parents and school staff.
“We support any measure that will protect the health and safety of Tasmanians, and we have been calling on the Government to act early and prepare for the closure of schools,” she said.
“Protecting health must be a priority. Any issues with home learning can be worked through, but the priority is to ensure children, school staff and their families are safe.
“We have said all along that some schools must remain available for the children of essential workers and vulnerable families who can’t provide adequate support at home.”
Greens health spokeswoman Rosalie Woodruff said the announcement would reassure Tasmanian families anxious about coronavirus and social distancing restrictions.
“We understand and support the Government’s intention to keep schools open for the children of healthcare workers,” she said.
“We all need those people to be able to continue their lifesaving work in these difficult days.”
The move was also backed by the Australian Education Union, which said it would give educators relief while preparing for second term.
“The Premier’s appeal to parents to keep their kids at home, if they’re able, is warmly welcomed and will reduce anxiety for educators under immense pressure to plan for a new world of learning in term two, while dealing with COVID-19 related health and safety issues,” AEU Tasmanian branch president Helen Richardson said.