Schools closed until March/April? (part 4) **Mod warning in OP 22/01**

Murple

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

DES has unveiled the state-of-the-art ventilation system that it is planning to roll out across the country's schools

Windows that open fully, even windows that open, would be an upgrade for many schools.

khalessi

average_runner wrote: »

Maybe open the classes up for those kids in the first move also?


Its a tough one

Yes it is, if this were done in my school for 5th and 6th, that are too old for creche it could be a minimum of 150 or so children out of 240 children because if you are doing it for teachers, other essential workers would want it too.

mcsean2163

average_runner wrote: »

I think the solution will be let up to yourself to find an outcome. No one cared about the nurses and doctors working crazy hours when kids school closed.

There seems to be a Chinese whisper affect.

My wife is a senior hospital health care worker. I am minding the children now and got fired for it. That is the outcome.

My point is that many special needs teachers may be in a similar boat in that they rely on school so that they can work.

You can say whatever you like about shop workers etc. but would you expect someone to leave their six year old at home on their own all day while they go in to help special needs students?

Maybe I'm over estimating based on a neighbor but I expect it'd be very difficult for many teachers to return to special needs work without the support of a general school support structure in place.

BonsaiKitten

khalessi wrote: »

Yes it is, if this were done in my school for 5th and 6th, that are too old for creche it could be a minimum of 150 or so children out of 240 children because if you are doing it for teachers, other essential workers would want it too.

And from there you get the vulnerable kids in too, and the kids with additional needs. And - as is happening in England - kids who 'struggle with/can't access home learning'. Sure you could apply that label to almost any child!

I really and truly believe that was Norma's aim, btw. Open the schools for almost all by pretending to care about kids with additional needs.

FishOnABike

PeterPan92 wrote: »

I really hope that they give us some form of a timeline today for a logical and safe return to school. I'd predict that being something along the lines of:

February 1st-5th: Special Schools, SET teachers at primary level, leaving cert

After February Midterm - March 1st: All other primary (I'd prefer this on a staggered basis, but that won't happen).

After Easter: Secondary Schools

However, I don't think we'll be given a long timeline. Just that nothing is happening for the next week.

I miss Joe McHugh. At least he didn't spend his time trying to make himself look like the victim of bold teachers and their pesky unions.

The problem with any timeline is that it is more likely than not going to be wrong. What can or cannot be done has to be driven by CoViD-19 key indicators (e.g. hospital + ICU cases and trends, cases and trends, community prevalence and trends, referral rates and trends, etc...) not by a calendar.

Given the b.1.1.7 variant is estimated to be 1.5 times as contagious we will need to be more cautious both in the level and rate of opening up to ensure numbers do not grow again.

We have been badly stung by the post Christmas surge and don't want to make that mistake again. We need to get hospital and ICU numbers down and get our community prevalence to s low level to give the breathing space to respond in time if numbers start to rise again.

khalessi

BonsaiKitten wrote: »

And from there you get the vulnerable kids in too, and the kids with additional needs. And - as is happening in England - kids who 'struggle with/can't access home learning'. Sure you could apply that label to almost any child!

I really and truly believe that was Norma's aim, btw. Open the schools for almost all by pretending to care about kids with additional needs.

In some schools in UK they ended up with 75% attendance when accomodating the different categories and then some children were just dropped off and left.

mcsean2163

khalessi wrote: »

Yes this is what I was saying few pages back, those children in 5th 6th maybe 1st and 2nd year to young to be left alone for 6 hours but too old for creche.

??

You might get a crèche to take a junior infant but can't see anyone older than that being accepted. We enquired last October for our youngest and were told we might get a place summer 2021. He's on the list for summer 2021, so don't see how crèches will suddenly be in a position to take junior to 4th class primary school kids...

BonsaiKitten

khalessi wrote: »

In some schools in UK they ended up with 75% attendance when accomodating the different categories and then some children were just dropped off and left.

And some have gone ahead with those kinds of numbers in (at least a friend's school has, they've about 60% attendance atm) and the teacher is expected to juggle an in-person class and full home learning schedule for the rest. While the rest are banging down the door to try and get in too!

It's an absolute shítshow, it really is.

wirelessdude01

BonsaiKitten wrote: »

And from there you get the vulnerable kids in too, and the kids with additional needs. And - as is happening in England - kids who 'struggle with/can't access home learning'. Sure you could apply that label to almost any child!

I really and truly believe that was Norma's aim, btw. Open the schools for almost all by pretending to care about kids with additional needs.

Friends of mine from the PGCE in England are reporting 80-90% attendance in some areas of London as pretty much everyone and anyone can attend such are the broad parameters and criteria applied. Said it is absolutely mental.

Mrsmum

mcsean2163 wrote: »

There seems to be a Chinese whisper affect.

My wife is a senior hospital health care worker. I am minding the children now and got fired for it. That is the outcome.

My point is that many special needs teachers may be in a similar boat in that they rely on school so that they can work.

You can say whatever you like about shop workers etc. but would you expect someone to leave their six year old at home on their own all day while they go in to help special needs students?

Maybe I'm over estimating based on a neighbor but I expect it'd be very difficult for many teachers to return to special needs work without the support of a general school support structure in place.

But teachers are not some unique group of essential workers. From your own situation, no special case was made for healthcare workers etc. I'm curious why you see teachers as more deserving of being a special case. However as I said before if teachers can get childcare for everybody essential happening, that would be good for those workers. It also means though more teachers back in school settings providing childcare and what was it that was said constantly in the first few threads - teaching is not childcare.

wirelessdude01

Mrsmum wrote: »

But teachers are not some unique group of essential workers. From your own situation, no special case was made for healthcare workers etc. I'm curious why you see teachers as more deserving of being a special case. However as I said before if teachers can get childcare for everybody essential happening, that would be good. It also means though more teachers back in school settings providing childcare and what was it that was said constantly in the first few threads - teaching is not childcare.

It's pretty clear from previous postings that this poster isn't a teacher. Not quite sure what agenda they are pushing on here now.

Mrsmum

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

It's pretty clear from previous postings that this poster isn't a teacher. Not quite sure what agenda they are pushing on here now.

Perhaps wanting children of all essential workers back.

khalessi

Mrsmum wrote: »

Perhaps wanting children of all essential workers back.

Which will lead to almost maximum attendance and a crazy number of people mobilising to get children to schools, the reason NPHET gave for them being closed while community transmission is high. As has been said before the list is too broad.

Mrsmum

khalessi wrote: »

Which will lead to almost maximum attendance and a crazy number of people mobilising to get children to schools, the reason NPHET gave for them being closed while community transmission is high. As has been said before the list is too broad.

Yes and it isn't that essential workers don't actually deserve childcare, just that the solution is full of problems too.

JP100

khalessi wrote: »

Which will lead to almost maximum attendance and a crazy number of people mobilising to get children to schools, the reason NPHET gave for them being closed while community transmission is high. As has been said before the list is too broad.

The term essential worker has turned in to an absolute joke at this stage. I know accountants who work for companies that have declared themselves and their staff as essential workers. Thus, also using this declared status to force people into the office.

wirelessdude01

JP100 wrote: »

The term essential worker has turned in to an absolute joke at this stage. I know accountants who work for companies that have declared themselves and their staff as essential workers. Thus, also using this declared status to force people into the office.

List is far too broad. Companies using loopholes to get around it as well. Know people who have been given a new 'definition' of their job. Job hasn't changed but the new definition means they now are 'essential' and as such they are now forced to go into the office rather than do their work from home which they are more than capable of doing.

Ironic thing is that I was going to school the other day to get some further books and came upon a checkpoint. Asked what I was doing, where I was going, job, standard questions. When I said I was going to school to get some books I was told that I should use what I have at home and was turned around.

mcsean2163

Mrsmum wrote: »

But teachers are not some unique group of essential workers. From your own situation, no special case was made for healthcare workers etc. I'm curious why you see teachers as more deserving of being a special case. However as I said before if teachers can get childcare for everybody essential happening, that would be good for those workers. It also means though more teachers back in school settings providing childcare and what was it that was said constantly in the first few threads - teaching is not childcare.

I didn't bring up special status or anything. A poster posted an it article which I looked at.

My point was that it's unlikely special needs will be back early due to logistics.

That's it for me today.

JP100

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

List is far too broad. Companies using loopholes to get around it as well. Know people who have been given a new 'definition' of their job. Job hasn't changed but the new definition means they now are 'essential' and as such they are now forced to go into the office rather than do their work from home which they are more than capable of doing.

Ironic thing is that I was going to school the other day to get some further books and came upon a checkpoint. Asked what I was doing, where I was going, job, standard questions. When I said I was going to school to get some books I was told that I should use what I have at home and was turned around.

The guard was being extremely unreasonable in sending you back.

Str8outtaWuhan

Feck all clarity from that press conference with the 3 stooges.

CapriciousOne

Str8outtaWuhan wrote: »

Feck all clarity from that press conference with the 3 stooges.

They said there'll be nothing until an agreement has been made.

JP100

Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed!

WicklaBlaa

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Ironic thing is that I was going to school the other day to get some further books and came upon a checkpoint. Asked what I was doing, where I was going, job, standard questions. When I said I was going to school to get some books I was told that I should use what I have at home and was turned around.

Strange. I know teachers who are working in school 2/3 days a week. Seems unreasonable.

mirrorwall14

First press conference and announcement I didn’t listen to. I’m done with it. I don’t want any more doom and gloom announcements or drip feed of information. I just want to get through one day at a time

wirelessdude01

WicklaBlaa wrote: »

Strange. I know teachers who are working in school 2/3 days a week. Seems unreasonable.

Thought so. Turned around and just used a different road instead.

downthemiddle

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Thought so. Turned around and just used a different road instead.

Teachers are an exception to the travel rule and are allowed travel to school to facilitate learning.

wirelessdude01

downthemiddle wrote: »

Teachers are an exception to the travel rule and are allowed travel to school to facilitate learning.

See I too honest and just said the truth. Garda was a little to stringent though.

rainbowtrout

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

See I too honest and just said the truth. Garda was a little to stringent though.

We got an email forwarded from the principal today from the ETB (CEO) to say that we work in education, are essential workers, and have permission to travel to school to provide online tuition etc.

Locotastic

Three digit case numbers was so strange to see this evening. Hoping it keeps going down at this rate and the schools can open back up after the midterm when we're down to couple hundred cases a day.

WicklaBlaa

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

See I too honest and just said the truth. Garda was a little to stringent though.

Would let local station know. Not to complain as such, but guards shouldn't be turning teachers around when going to their place of work.

Locotastic

rainbowtrout wrote: »

We got an email forwarded from the principal today from the ETB (CEO) to say that we work in education, are essential workers, and have permission to travel to school to provide online tuition etc.

Has the government added teachers to the essential workers list?