No I do not believe that schools are safe. But it is what it is.
So you agree with the Minister. Just so we are clear.
Double classes for the ones they can go to, with some study classes in between !
I think the most difficult situation to cope effectively with will be the schools who are neither fully open nor fully closed.
Trying to plan for a school where you can't predict what staff will be in or out or what number of students will be in or out.
Staff who are in will have to support both in person and streaming for remote teaching at the same time.
At what level of student absenteeism (on a per class, per subject basis) will a teacher live stream a classroom based lesson for the benefit of absent students?
Staff who are out will need to remote stream to the classroom for students who are in and to students who are absent.
Students who are in may have one lesson in person and the next streamed to the classroom with an unqualified supervisor (if one can be found) in the class for insurance purposes. Or do we just not teach that subject for a week or two?
Can our schools support a teaching model which is ad-hoc in person mixed-hybrid and is constantly changing in an unpredictable manner?
I'd hate to have to try organising that! As soon as you have a plan made, it has changed.
Just out of curiosity, in post-primary if no subs available, how can the class be given 10 days off? Do they go home for that class? They’ve 5 or 7 other classes with different teachers depending in length of class on the school. What’s the solution there???
Can Schools not just take it as a class by class basis- If the teacher is out due to Covid (find a sub), if none available- Class is off for the 10 days that it takes for Teacher to isolate and return.
The amount of people online saying to wait until kids are vaccinated?? I doubt many parents will get their kids vaccinated at all to be honest. Most kids have a mild cold from this.
Well yeah, but I'm just pointing out tjlhat there will be schools that will not have the staff to open due to Covid positive, awaiting PCR, or isolating. Just the way things are. It will be hit and miss for the next couple weeks.
LOL.
You claim to trust science and a previous thread you think autism is just an excuse people's behaviour or some sort of fad. Sure..... You trust science when it suits your own opinion.
You gotta love how everyone for the past 2 years has been "I trust the experts, I trust scientists!"
But as soon as the scientist come out with something people don't like, union reps, teachers and unemployed mammies on facebook know more than them and should be trusted over the experts!
Childs ombudsman who's a doctor said today schools should open as normal.
I trust the experts, I trust scientists...schools should be open!
The lollipop lady in our estate was out sicks for about 2 months before Christmas . The road is very dangerous for kids and yet she wasn’t replaced leaving kids in danger . They were far more at risk crossing the road than from Covid but no one in authority paid any attention . Its all about Covid now and other risks being ignored .
And if you do have the staff, then open?
True, but online learning will kick in before that becomes an issue.
First week of Easter has already been given over to leaving cert oral exams.
If Omicron is as mild as we all say then theres nothing to stop even the majority of the positive ones from teaching from home.
Can't open if you don't have staff.
Schools who close due to staff shortages will move online I would say
Thats not true. If a school has to close for whatever reason there is leeway to cancel things like school tours, sports days etc if the school feels that the time lost can not be made it. Working extra days is the last resort. This has come up before when schools had to close for weather related issues.
If schools are closed locally the days must be made up during the school calendar. If closed nationally the days do not need to be made up. AFAIK these are rules agreed between the dept and schools.
Yup, you did say “schools will be shut” and that “hospitals are in that very situation right now”. I was wondering which hospitals you meant. This is what you said:
“The science says a positive case needs 10 days isolation, you send someone back into school after 5 and they are probably still contagious, spread it to more staff who then will be out for 5 days and rinse and repeat until schools will be shut as there will be no staff available. Hospitals are in that very situation right now.”
Never said hospitals where closed, but surgeries, scans, appointments and even wards are being closed and cancelled at the moment due to staff shortages, bloody obvious that you can't just close a hospital.
Having dealt with you earlier in these threads I'm not going to bother responding from here on out.
Which hospitals are shut down?
The science says a positive case needs 10 days isolation, you send someone back into school after 5 and they are probably still contagious, spread it to more staff who then will be out for 5 days and rinse and repeat until schools will be shut as there will be no staff available. Hospitals are in that very situation right now.
O Rourke is two ends of a b**locks but I agree with him on this one.
We need to get on with this, just drive on. Life is getting closer to normal, a closure of schools is a backwards step. Unbelievably detrimental to the students too.
Ive what I assume is Omicron here and it’s a complete farce having to stay at home for this. A runny nose and tiny tickly cough. Enough is enough. This is all over bar the shouting (shouting being the ridiculous testing and isolation requirements).
All of which are standardised holidays set by …….. wait for it …… the Dep.
It's not just teachers. Nurses, Hse staff, Fire Brigade, Gardaí.
Don't you get it? It won't be perfect every time. But if they implement a 5 day isolation after a pcr for the above, the science says the overwhelming majority will be able to return to work, no problems.
You might have anomalies here and there, but deal with those on an individual basis.
I don't think it's outrageous that education, security and health care are prioritised in so far as possible.
I find this really frustrating - Norma Foley putting education first - what a joke and no I’m not talking about opening / closing schools more the removal of banked hours , misuse of SET , removal of OT & S< and standing over the refusal of outside agencies to come into schools due to “covid” - removing supports from those very same children that need it the most and are most affected by school closures . Populist is exactly what type of minister she is.
Doubtful but it should be short term anyway with this expected to peak pretty soon.
Colm O Rourke principal in st Pats Navan said on radio today its critical that schools open, and that school management will have to get on with what they are paid to do.
Magically like schools, school staff wil be deemed "safe" and no more isolating needed 🤣🤣🤣 it's so stupid I could see it happening.
No plan at all ??
Norma Foley has been very consistent that the plan is to open. Just because a few union reps don't like it doesn't mean there's no plan.
I was very surprised to hear the government are going ahead with the school opening. I was trying to figure out why the change in their behaviour. The only thing I can think of is that it is actually much easier for government to open up schools and go for quick herd immunity than organise hepafilters and sort out air hygiene.
Hence that government request for CMO advice. They want to tweak the rules on isolation and it's not just schools.
