How will schools be able to go back in September? (Continued)

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Every class had every help? Are you sure you just aren't confused with an SNA?

It’s the most logical explanation. Bottom line there are not helpers in the Irish Education system which would allow at risk teachers to teach remotely while the helper supervised the class which is where this discussion arose from. It does however highlight how parents can be unaware of what actually happens in a school setting and therefore leads to unworkable solutions being put forward as a given.

brendanwalsh wrote: »

are people with inflammatory bowel disease on immunosuppressants deemed high risk or very high risk ?

I can't remember but I don't think so as they were quite specific about what was and wasn't high risk.

Not much was high risk by the way. I'm going to root out the doc again and will edit here to add the list. It's a short one anyway

Edit: I was wrong, those taking immunosuppressants are high risk, but they need to be currently taking them. Here is the full list. It's actually longer than I remembered:


People at very high risk (extremely vulnerable):
The list of people in very high risk groups include people who:

•  are over 70 years of age – even if fit and well
•  have had an organ transplant
•  are undergoing active chemotherapy for cancer
•  are having radical radiotherapy for lung cancer
•  have cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
•  are having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
•  are having other targeted cancer treatments which can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors
•  have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last 6 months, or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs
•  have severe respiratory conditions including cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, lung fibrosis, interstitial lung disease and severe COPD
•  have a condition that means they have a very high risk of getting infections (such as SCID, homozygous sickle cell)
•  are taking medicine that makes you much more likely to get infections (such as high doses of steroids or immunosuppression therapies)
•  have a serious heart condition and are pregnant

JDD wrote: »

I don't get this. Surely the whole bubble/pod/class should be sent home as soon as one of the class is suspected of having it? I mean, it would be great if we have a five hour turnaround time from suspicion to test result, but at the moment it seems to be three/four days. If whoever caught it off little Johnny on a Monday is left to be in school for two days, infecting their siblings and therefore other classes, its going to be carnage.

Opening the schools was always going to be the easy part. Keeping them open will be a lot tricker. Gov appear to be basing their return to school policy on the assumption that children are not a major source of transmission and are not as affected by covid as adults. November will be interesting in terms of where we are re community transmission and the role schools play in that.

Smacruairi wrote: »

I agree, bland at primary level they might suggest it to the "pod" within the "bubble" and all that bollix, but post primary are not sitting kids like that, it'll be individual areas as much as possible. So the whole class becomes the "pod" in reality. I don't think the guidelines envisioned 24 being sent home just in case. Also, if I was a 14yr old, I wouldn't fancy the idea of being swabbed every time there is someone with a high temp.

They're banking on kids not showing symptoms and parents not rocking the boat to stay in work. It's a bold bold strategy.

Also the cynic in me notices that all the trolls seem to have stopped since Leo etc have all said clusters are inevitable.

Well between Leo saying that and studies showing kids can catch and spread Covid19 they have little to be saying. I love how Leo subtlely spread responsibility if clusters do occur with his "probably not" remark.

brendanwalsh wrote: »

are medmark the people in charge of occupational health for the entire Department of education??

feels scary tbh to be on immunosuppressants and asked to go into the COVID cesspool that will be the schools ultimately.

thanks for the answers everyone

It’s medmark at primary too.

Smacruairi wrote: »

I agree, bland at primary level they might suggest it to the "pod" within the "bubble" and all that bollix, but post primary are not sitting kids like that, it'll be individual areas as much as possible. So the whole class becomes the "pod" in reality. I don't think the guidelines envisioned 24 being sent home just in case. Also, if I was a 14yr old, I wouldn't fancy the idea of being swabbed every time there is someone with a high temp.

They're banking on kids not showing symptoms and parents not rocking the boat to stay in work. It's a bold bold strategy.

Also the cynic in me notices that all the trolls seem to have stopped since Leo etc have all said clusters are inevitable.

not sure if banking on kids not showing symptoms is going to work .. wasnt there a big problem with kids coming back from school tours in spain/ Italy at the start of all this riddled with covid

This may have been answered already but I briefly read the INTO release today regarding subs just wondering if schools will get sub cover for course days since we can no longer split classes?

I've just been talking today to my friend who is a teacher in the U.S. Interesting to see the set up there. So her school district sent out a survey to all their parents asking what they wanted. The results were: 50% wanted their children back full time at three feet apart, 25% wanted their children in two days a week at six feet apart and 25% wanted online teaching/learning only. So anyway she said they hadn't the resources for the first two options (not sure why they asked for preferred option in that case), therefore there will be no return to school at all, children will be learning online. Every child has been gifted a laptop. Another thing she said is that parents are actively seeking out home tutors to help their children as parents are finding it impossible to home school themselves. Her daughter who is in 3rd level from home has just got a job tutoring a family of three for €35 dollars per child per hour. That's the news from over there.

Mrsmum wrote: »

I've just been talking today to my friend who is a teacher in the U.S. Interesting to see the set up there. So her school district sent out a survey to all their parents asking what they wanted. The results were: 50% wanted their children back full time at three feet apart, 25% wanted their children in two days a week at six feet apart and 25% wanted online teaching/learning only. So anyway she said they hadn't the resources for the first two options (not sure why they asked for preferred option in that case), therefore there will be no return to school at all, children will be learning online. Every child has been gifted a laptop. Another thing she said is that parents are actively seeking out home tutors to help their children as parents are finding it impossible to home school themselves. Her daughter who is in 3rd level from home has just got a job tutoring a family of three for €35 dollars per child per hour. That's the news from over there.

What state is that in?

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

What state is that in?

An awful state;)

Sounds like a child in the class has access to an SNA. Theres no teaching assistants in Ireland

average_runner wrote: »

Well our school has the main teacher and then a person in the class to help out. This was from entry to first class.