Schools and Covid 19 (part 5) **Mod warnings in OP**

I don't see how, this thread is all about risk, crossing the road outside the school has a far greater risk of serious injury and death than Covid would to a primary schooler - banning cars must be the conclusion so if risk minimisation is the goal.

Wife works in a Letterkenny school only 11 of 29 pupils in today with 3 confirmed cases but according to the government it's kids parties not schools that's the problem.

I'm subbing in schools atm and the staffroom today was full of talk about schools closing the 10th or 17th December instead of the 22nd.. I really hope they don't close them after Christmas.......

Its the same in my kids school - lots of kids out sick. It doesnt necessarily mean they have covid though. Colds etc are spreading rapidly too and as we all know we must keep our kids at home if they show any symptoms. Kids are picking up every bug and virus going this year - its not just covid.

People hearing high absense's from schools are wrongly jumping to the conclusion that all the kids out must have covid! - which isnt the case at all. Since us parents are no longer notified when there is a case in our kids classes I ask my kids daily what kids are out in their classes - high numbers are out sick but kids are back to school in 2/3/4 days. Luckily no kids have been out for 2 weeks - I know we are very lucky with this as its not the case in every school.

Same rumours last year.

Some schools will be doing exams up until the 22nd so if they were true you'd think that would be communicated early next week.

It won't happen but they can't just drop an announcement to close at the last minute.

Just incase anyone is taken in by this nonsense, have a read about the CEO of the Principa Scientific International. Amongst other things he is a climate change denier. Put bluntly this organisation is not reputable and is peddling rubbish.

Climate deniers and anti-vax. Not scientists.

https://www.desmog.com/principia-scientific-international/

From the link:

In 2013, PSI also began to promote unfounded claims that wind turbines make people sick and that childhood vaccines were “one of the largest most evil lies in history.” [9]

Genuine question, do mods not get alerts about reported posts anymore or have they taken a different approach to moderation now?

Oh ok I actually hadn't realised that there was an issue, I thought it was some sort of weird policy change and was wondering why so much was being let go.

With all due respect, there are far too many unqualified idiots embedded in social media threads.

Idiots throwing out all sorts of ‘claims’ and ‘theories’ and ‘ ‘conspiracies’ with nothing whatsoever to back them up, and no qualifications to even give their rubbish the slightest veneer of credibility.

I will always take the qualified opinion over that of grunts just horsing out bulldust for the sake of it.

That would seem to be common sense, even if I don’t like what the qualified opinion is at times.

We need to realise that there seems to be a rump of the hard right well embedded out there who’s agenda is to shout down everyone.

Media have ,in my opinion, huge influence in all this, RTE attacking everything, newspapers with lurid headlines to attract idiots who are ‘click baited’ to buy them.

Very little positivity, very little balance, the hurler on the ditch being supported over those who are in the trenches fighting.

I despair a bit for this country, to be honest

I hear on NT there a few mins ago that the Department has revised the guidelines to schools to say that children should not be excluded for not wearing a mask, but rather that the school should engage "pragmatically and sensitively" with the parents.

That's the end of that so.. removed without actually removing it. Sounds like someone in the Department got legal advice. Should never have been introduced in the first place.

Our primary school has now ceased homework for the remainder of term.

They were always homework-lite, but this is taking the proverbial.

The whole school, or a class?

Homework at primary school level is generally viewed as being of limited benefit to students. I'd imagine your school is either phasing it out or reducing it in line with the evidence. Many schools are redrafting their homework policies. I can't see the connection between it and covid but happy to be corrected.

Unlikely, all homework is photographed and submitted online.

Ah, "fail to realize" and "would do well to remember". Some old school phraseology there.