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

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Is this the same children's rights alliance who use thr part of the National Parents Council Primary nationwide survey which states that there is 90 per cent support for reopening schools in line with public health guidance but which conveniently ignores that as recently as Monday of this week that Doctor Glynn uses words such as "cautious", "phased", "slow" in relation to the return of schools.

AsIAm, Barnardos, Children’s Rights Alliance, Inclusion Ireland, and National Parents Council Primary.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40228211.html

Locotastic wrote: »

AsIAm, Barnardos, Children’s Rights Alliance, Inclusion Ireland, and National Parents Council Primary.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40228211.html

Are they not saying the same thing as the unions re going back to schools. ie. With public health advice?

I could not think of anything worse. Kids are on midterm now and it’s cold wet and miserable and difficult to keep them entertained with nowhere open and restrictions as they are now.
Atleast in the summer they could be outside for longer and with some restrictions lifted.
Talk about kicking people while they are down. We have very little to look forward too right now. Imagine looking forward to a summer of school

Does anyone know when for sure we will find out what is happening with opening of schools?
I still haven't started my kids on creche.they were due to start last month but because of covid we delayed. I obviously want to get them used to it before I go back to school which means I'd need to put them in next week if we are back march 1st.
I have serious doubts we will be back then because numbers just feel too high to me for them to proceed with openings just yet.
Obviously don't want to start them when numbers are high and would rather delay their start if our going back is to be delayed

I know norma has said it's March 1st but i find it very difficult to actually believe a word she says anymore ,let alone believe there's any conviction to it. Other ministers has expressed a disbelief in what she has said which also makes me question the 1st of March return

Locotastic wrote: »

They said take 2 weeks in August as a summer holiday and take the rest of the summer holidays now.

Nothing about taking away any holidays from teachers just restructuring them.

I honestly don't know why this is not an option being considered. Even if Easter holidays were taken now and some restructuring of the summer holidays was done it would be better for students.

I see one of the new safety measures is that "Parents of children returning to school will be asked to sign declaration forms stating that they have no reason to believe their child has an infectious disease such as Covid-19".

I wonder how often the declaration will need to be done and what the consequences are for people who lie on it.

We also have groups that have sought legal opinion which states the blanket closure of schools — including online learning — is unconstitutional.

Going to be an interesting week.

What would happen to teachers who are working as sub on contract for a year?
Wouldn't it also make it difficult for teachers who might be looking for a job for next year?

Midnight Sundance wrote: »

Does anyone know when for sure we will find out what is happening with opening of schools?
I still haven't started my kids on creche.they were due to start last month but because of covid we delayed. I obviously want to get them used to it before I go back to school which means I'd need to put them in next week if we are back march 1st.
I have serious doubts we will be back then because numbers just feel too high to me for them to proceed with openings just yet.
Obviously don't want to start them when numbers are high and would rather delay their start if our going back is to be delayed

I know norma has said it's March 1st but i find it very difficult to actually believe a word she says anymore ,let alone believe there's any conviction to it. Other ministers has expressed a disbelief in what she has said which also makes me question the 1st of March return

I would say that there would hopefully be a week's notice of what is going to happen and if I were in your shoes, I would put them back in to Creche with a week to go.

Random sample wrote: »

That will come with the end of level 5/ or the phased reopening of non essential services.

Where has that come from? I sincerely hope they open when primary schools do. That said I agree there has not been talk about it I have heard. The ECCE funding was cut until the 5th so am (hoping!) it will be the 8th the back for that & childminding for all. The owner of my creche says she expecting an update on the 20th but I'd say it will be more of the nothing definite until the week before.

combat14 wrote: »

latest figures on student covid numbers from 3rd wave



Students have highest Covid infection rates after health workers in third wave

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/students-have-highest-covid-infection-rates-after-health-workers-in-third-wave-40100677.html

That headline desperately requires context.

Students, including schoolchildren aged 16 and over, had one of the highest rates of Covid-19 infection during the pandemic’s third wave, according to figures obtained by the Irish Independent.

They include 3rd level in that group, and children under 16 are not included at all.

The figures released by the Department of Health relate to the 135,565 confirmed cases of Covid-19 notified to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) between November 19, 2020 and February 8.

Children have not been in school since the 22nd of December. So that's 7 weeks of an 11 week period, where they couldn't have become infected in school.

DSN wrote: »

Did you read the article? 6% of those who tested positive between Nov 19th-Feb 8th where schoolchildren or students (so right up to uni) but over 60% were 'unknown' occupation. So that title is completely misleading!

Schoolchildren over 16

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

So from 3rd year up in post primary, complete non issue so :rolleyes:.

I'll repeat, for 7 of that 11 week period, they weren't in school. The 3rd level students weren't in university at all

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

Didn't the positivity rate in creche's also skyrocket when they reopened? So if the youngest are getting it at a higher rate, the teenagers are getting it, likelihood is those in the middle are too.

And you couldn't think of a statistical reason why that might happen? Maybe that the likelihood of their parents being frontline workers was higher? Or that there were less children in the creche so the positivity rate of the smaller number that needed to be tested would therefore be higher?

No critical thought is being applied here, just anything at all to follow the narrative that you agree with.

Lillyfae wrote: »

I'll repeat, for 7 of that 11 week period, they weren't in school. The 3rd level students weren't in university at all



And you couldn't think of a statistical reason why that might happen? Maybe that the likelihood of their parents being frontline workers was higher? Or that there were less children in the creche so the positivity rate of the smaller number that needed to be tested would therefore be higher?

No critical thought is being applied here, just anything at all to follow the narrative that you agree with.

There's only one person out of the two of us that follows a narrative that they agree with blindly I'm afraid, the age groups and the facts are what they are currently, I'm not going to argue with you as my mental health is important to me and I'm on a weeks holidays

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

There's only one person out of the two of us that follows a narrative that they agree with blindly I'm afraid, the age groups and the facts are what they are currently, I'm not going to argue with you as my mental health is important to me and I'm on a weeks holidays

I agree with in context facts- your "facts" don't show what % are in the smaller age group of 16 - 19. The reality is that University students could be up to any age at all.

I always reserve the right to change my mind when the facts support that. That's the thing you don't seem to get- if you have the ability to change your mind then it's possible to never be wrong.

Midnight Sundance wrote: »

So what you want the kids to do is to work from say May until Halloween with maybe a couple of weeks break ? To go tk school during the only warm months we have over here instead of getting outside, enjoying the sunshine and letting themselves enjoy themselves for once? The poor things need a break!

No that's not what I said at all, I said if Easter holidays were taken now and some restructuring of the summer holidays was done it would be better for students.

Easter hols now, schools back mid March, easter hols aren't lost.

Do an extra 2 weeks into summer hols, maybe run an extra midterm end of May for a week and take the other extra week as additional days at October/December breaks.

Nobody loses anything, there's still a good summer break and Easter hols are taken now while there's still uncertainty.

Restructuring some of the holidays makes sense right now. I'd rather that than kids go back for a week and then be on easter hols, it's ridiculous.

Lillyfae wrote: »

I agree with in context facts- your "facts" don't show what % are in the smaller age group of 16 - 19. The reality is that University students could be up to any age at all.

I always reserve the right to change my mind when the facts support that. That's the thing you don't seem to get- if you have the ability to change your mind then it's possible to never be wrong.

I can and do gladly change my mind/opinion on anything to be honest, the problem with everything child/school and covid related is that all the "facts" are muddied up so much that they are completely unclear and open to interpretation.

For instance, saying schools where working really well without many cases at all before Christmas is an impossible statement to make when close contacts where not being tested within schools, children are seen to be vastly more asymptotic than adults, and a huge amount of our cases where being put down as household or community transmission which is exactly where a child would exist.

It really doesn't help to clear the whole situation when both ministers for education are spouting nonsense and lying to both the media and general public about discussions taking place.

As an aside, I would kill to be back in school as I'm completely fed up of groundhog weeks at this stage, but it needs to be safer, and it needs to be less political.

Sammy2012 wrote: »

Sounds similar to here but I am shocked that the staff are not wearing masks!

Not outside, but like I said we don't go inside so I don't know. When we're doing the creche pickup they're not.