IT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO CREATE ‘BUBBLES’ IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS
SCIENCE teacher Terry Flanagan has warned that it will be impossible to create bubbles or pods in secondary schools when classes resume in September.
Mr Flanagan, who has taught for 40 years at Moyle Park College in Clondalkin, south Dublin, has said the interim guidelines are full of serious flaws that have yet to be addressed.
‘Even at one-metre distancing, how many students can fit into the average room? What happens to the overflow?’ he asked.
‘Will PPE be provided for teachers? Will hot water be provided in the toilets for staff and students, as most schools do not have hot water for either?’
He added: ‘At secondary level, students move around all day to different subjects and different specialist rooms.
‘Surely, this will lead to problems. It will be impossible to create “bubbles” or “pods” at second level. What happens if a student or teacher contracts the virus?
‘Students and teachers wearing face masks will also make it difficult for communication in the classroom. There will be problems too in areas where students congregate, including lockers, toilets, yards and cloakrooms.’
‘In hairdressers, clients are asked to put their coats/bags in a plastic bag and carry them around with them. Will students be asked to do the same?’ he asked
He also said the guidelines did not state if sports, school trips and matches would be allowed to take place.
Teachers having to collect their students’ homework and queues in school canteens have also been deemed as a worry by many staff members at schools.
‘The bottom line is that teachers want to get back into the classroom and teach, but only when it is deemed safe by the Department of Health and the Chief Medical Officer.
‘I, like many others, have taken his advice on cancelling my holiday abroad this year and losing out financially on that, and I would hope that the Government would heed his advice on when and how schools should proceed with opening,’ he added.