jrosen wrote: » I think schools have to go back in September with a full schedule, allow the teachers to use PPE. Soap/hand sanitizer available all the time. Any school that requires an upgrade to bathrooms/sinks needs to happen before September. Close all communal areas. Classes basically stay in their home room all day. If any teacher is considered high risk they should be able to stay home with full pay, any other teacher who isn't comfortable can take unpaid leave. But the schools have to be supported in keeping sick staff/students home and if there is a case or a suspected case the school closes.
jrosen wrote: » I think any employee who is fit and able to return to work but chooses not too should have to take unpaid leave, unpaid parental leave. Its not about inconvenience. Its about children missing out on their education. Its about expecting parents who are working to somehow find the time in their already 8 hour day to follow a curriculum and teach their own kids. Its not sustainable long term nor is it realistic.
morebabies wrote: » On top of this lack of clarity, we got our bill for two secondary students annual bus tickets a few days ago, €650. In normal times, we wouldn't query it, but now we're holding back because we know so little about how the next academic year is going to look. Obviously buses can't manage social distancing, and neither can bus companies offer twice as many buses and drivers with the same income for school transport. Obligatory masks on buses is all that can be done I suppose.
...Ghost... wrote: » Then you have little regard to the health and safety of others. A fit and able person with a covid infection will spread it as easily as the next person. Employers have a duty to ensure that their employees are safe and have as appropriate equipment and PPE to carry out their duties. They must provide a safe place of work. This falls under health and safety law and the employer is the entity responsible for this, but employees must co-operate with the safety measures. I'm sure I don't have to argue that it is not safe for teachers to return to the classroom without proper PPE. I also don't think it is a good attitude to say that children won't die from the virus. They will spread it to vulnerable people who will die from the virus. It's more dangerous in a classroom of 30 kids for several hours per day than it is to be on a bus for a half hour....yet we are bringing in mandatory face masks and big fines for public transport from tomorrow.
FishOnABike wrote: » I think the school based clusters in Israel¹ ² and Melbourne³ have pretty much blown out of the water any notion that children/schools don't really spread the virus. ¹ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-battles-new-wave-coronavirus-infections-after-reopening-n1233139 "According to Gabi Barbash, a former director general of the Health Ministry and professor of epidemiology at the Weizmann Institute, the main trigger for the new wave lies in the government’s decision to open schools, event halls and pubs, with infections surging among young people” ² https://www.ijn.com/israel-thought-it-had-crushed-covid-19-now-lockdowns-reimposed/ " The virus quickly spread through the education system, with tens of thousands of students forced into quarantine and outbreaks in some high schools.” ³ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-09/al-taqwa-college-coronavirus-covid19-cluster-melbourne-truganina/12437584 Crossing our fingers and naïvely hoping schools can operate as if nothing has happened come the end of August / start of September is not going to cut it. Comprehensive preventative measures will need to be put in place including contingency plans to deal with suspected and/or confirmed cases within a school or within staff/student contacts.
youandme13 wrote: » And yet they just opened the creches without a second thought for the workers.. we're told we dont need ppe gear and yet we have afterschool children in our care now full time.
mcsean2163 wrote: » Interesting link and note the following... <I>Children in fifth grade and older will no longer be able to attend school or camp in person.</i> Schools stayed open unlike Ireland.
jrosen wrote: » If a person is fit and able to return to work they should, if they dont feel comfortable then that is their decision but they should not be able to sit at home on full pay. Employers have a duty of care to their staff, not to their staffs extended family. Perhaps you missed my comment as I have already clearly stated PPE should be available along with hand washing facilities/sanitizer
...Ghost... wrote: » If a person is fit and able to return to work AND the employers duty of care is properly adhered to, there is no problem. If all steps are taken to protect staff, then there is no need for "high risk" employees to stay at home with pay, is there? My point was that a person should not be put in a position where they have an unnecessary risk of contracting a potentially fatal illness to themselves, or others outside their employment. If the employer can't provide a safe working environment, the employee should not be out of pocket, or health.
Sammy2012 wrote: » I just dropped my kids off at summer camp. Hand sanitizer at the door and temp check also. Felt very safe. However the parent behind me refused the use of sanitizer and the temp check. This is what schools will be facing going forward.
iamwhoiam wrote: » Then she should have been refused entry .
Lillyfae wrote: » Why would anyone do this? Did they give any reason??
Sammy2012 wrote: » Can you legally refuse them though?
Sammy2012 wrote: » Children were allergic to it apparently. Kids were around 9. My own 2 are 4 and 6. They were asked did they bring their own sanitizer and parent answered just soap and water.
iamwhoiam wrote: » But they weren’t allergic to the thermometer I presume
Lillyfae wrote: » There would have to be a waiver in place then. The parents are obliged to inform in case of allergies. I call a bluff, they should have been refused.
timmy_mallet wrote: » Well, I wouldn't be comfortable with my kids using a santiser provided by someone else, would you? I will be providing them with their own. And if there are mandatory hand sanitising stations in schools from September, I'd argue they are a greater risk to safety than if they didn't exist. Each child in the school touching something with their hands on arrival is absurd.
Sammy2012 wrote: » Alot of sanitizer are now automatic. You place your hand under them. No touching at all.
