Send schoolkids back... if it’s safe

■ BORIS Johnson wants all children to return to school in September, as we all do, but their families and those of teaching staff need to be confident it’s safe before they get the blame for the deaths of thousands of the older generation should there be a second wave.

The wearing of masks by all staff and pupils and the use of plastic screens in areas such as canteens should be mandatory and the Government should pay upfront for this to lessen the spread of this incurable virus.

As someone who worked in schools for more than 50 years, I don’t believe it’s safe for pupils to return until all the necessary precautions have been taken. Mike Cobb Stanford-le-Hope, Essex

■ To try to force schools to reopen in September without a functioning test-and-trace system and without the regular testing of teachers, staff and children at schools is utter madness. If this happens, as seems likely, the disease could spread exponentially as children contract it, take it home and pass it on to their family members, some who might be working and others who might be vulnerable. It will be another lottery of death. Boris needs to understand he can’t fully reopen schools without testing and tracing in place.

A Smith, March, Cambs

■ Boris should have made his announcement about children returning to school on TV as it would have given him the chance to answer some of the questions parents have regarding their children’s safety. We’ve had five months of mixed messaging and waffle and it is now time for clarity and honesty. Threats of prosecution and intimidation are not the answer – parents need to know their children will be safe before they send them back.

Len Goodwin, Doncaster

■ Boris Johnson says it would be “morally indefensible” to not send children back to school. It was certainly morally indefensible not to sack Dominic Cummings after his lockdown outing to Durham, or not to protect care homes or impose lockdown quickly enough and to appoint his friends and family to the House of Lords. The list goes on. History will judge this man as the absolute pits of a prime minister.

Keith Bowman Chesterfield, Derbys

■ I agreed with much of Eva Simpson’s article ‘In Dire Need Of A Plan For Our Kids’ Future Education’ (Aug 6). But she did state schools a huge disservice saying they needed to up their game with regards to online classes. You simply can’t compare private and state schools in this way.

Private schools charge huge fees and have about half as many students per class. By contrast state schools are underfunded and don’t have the budget to make sure all children have the technology needed. Maybe the private schools should be the ones “stepping up” and look to where they could help out in their local area?

J Weids, Reigate, Surrey

■ Other countries who dealt with the pandemic better than us faced the reality of an upsurge when schools reopened. Does the Government really think children won’t bring the virus home with them, infecting family members who then, in turn, infect their colleagues and communities? Or do they think it will miraculously stay behind the school gates? Molly Wallhead, via Facebook

■ It is a bit rich for Boris Johnson to talk about morality in respect of school’s reopening after the summer holidays. He didn’t care much for morality when Dominic Cummings broke the lockdown rules.

Mick Hall, Preston