No guidance on school reopenings until July
GUIDELINES for reopening schools won’t be ready until July, it has emerged, sparking an angry backlash from principals who say they won’t have enough time to prepare.
There are now real fears that this could further delay the reopening of schools at the end of August.
Any delay will also cause chaos for parents who as yet have no idea if they can return to work full-time or if they will need to remain at home.
Principals last night criticised the delay, with one labelling it ‘reckless and unfair’.
Seán Ó hArgáin, principal of Gaelscoil Osraí primary school in Kilkenny city, told the Irish Daily Mail schools don’t know if they have to source their own PPE or even order new tables in line with social-distancing guideline. He said: ‘They [guidelines] need to come as urgently as possible. For example, if we have to switch from the double tables we have to single tables,
‘Reckless and unfair’
they would have to be tendered for and ordered right away.
‘I also believe hand sanitisers and any PPE should be delivered by the Government. It’s a massive task and the longer the Department [of Education] stalls their guidelines, the worse it will be for everyone.’
A secondary school principal in the south of the country said he believes the vast majority of school staff have lost faith in the Department of Education.
‘I’ve had many sleepless nights worrying about what’s going to happen at the end of August, and it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting much sleep for the next couple of weeks at least,’ he said. ‘The only way that schools are going to open at the end of August is if we have enough time to implement the measures the Government has issued.
‘The only thing is that we haven’t gotten any guidance at all... It’s far too late in the day to prepare for a full reopening. There’s going to be as much disruption for next year’s students. I feel very sorry for them.’
Niamh Murray, principal of Kilmacanogue National School in Co. Wicklow, said she has parents ringing her up daily for updates, but that she has no information for them.
She said: ‘They’re talking about social distancing in the play yard, but what about classrooms with over 30 children? Obviously, we’re very concerned about the lack of guidelines and parents are constantly ringing us to get answers to questions we just don’t have.’
Patrick Martin, principal of St Mochta’s National School in Louth, said of the lack of guidance: ‘It’s quite reckless and unfair... ‘I realise they’re in a very difficult position, but surely there could have been some decisions made already, such as what the maximum number of children should be to a class? ‘All the documents that have come through really haven’t answered any questions that principals and teachers are asking. At the end of the day it’s us that have to answer all the phone calls from concerned parents.’ Speaking in the Dáil yesterday, Education Minister Joe McHugh said that the reopening of schools was ‘nine or ten weeks away’ and that there was time to continue to consult public health experts to develop and plan appropriate guidance.
He said schools needed the advice ‘at the latest in July’.
Minister McHugh said: ‘This gives us time to continue to consult with the public health experts to develop and plan appropriate guidance. It is my ambition and that of my officials to work with the education partners to minimise the work involved at an individual school level. Where we can, we will provide centralised support and guidance to schools to enable them to reopen in a safe manner in the new school term.’
The minister reiterated the Government’s ‘strong preference’ for a full return to school in late August and September ‘in line with usual timetables’.