Scores oppose school restart
230 SIGN PETITION BUT PM INSISTS RETURN IS SAFE
MORE than 230 people have signed an open letter to Leicester City Council urging it to publicly support the continued closure of 112 city schools to all but the children of key workers.
Many primary age children are due to resume lessons tomorrow – and Boris Johnson has insisted it is safe for schools outside London to reopen.
But the open letter says the new more infectious strain of coronavirus presents an “intolerable risk” to children and school staff.
It reads: “We the undersigned are writing to express our grave concerns at the plans to reopen schools as normal, noting the emergence of a new and more contagious strain of Covid-19, and the endemic status earlier strains of Covid-19 attained in our educational system.
“The National Association of Head Teachers, and also the Association of School and College Leaders have announced they will take legal action against the Department of Education on the grounds control of Covid-19 infections has been lost across large parts of the country, and the lack of firm data on the new strain and how it may affect children in particular, presents intolerable levels of risk to staff and students alike.
“We, the undersigned, call on Leicester City Council, and upon the city mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, to voice their opposition in the strongest possible terms to the reopening of schools before Covid-19 is under control.
“It is our belief that many lives will needlessly be lost if schools, colleges, and universities reopen as normal.”
Leicester City Council does not have the authority to order schools to open or close.
Mr Johnson said: “Schools are safe. It is very, very important to stress that.
“The risk to kids, to young people is really very, very small indeed. The risk to staff is very small.
“I would advise all parents thinking about what they want to do, look at where your area is, overwhelmingly you’ll be in a part of the country where primary schools will be open.
“I understand people’s frustrations, I understand people’s anxieties but there is no doubt in my mind that schools are safe and that education is a priority.”
Sir Peter Soulsby said: “Only the government is in the position to order schools to close or reopen.
“Local authorities do not have that power any more.
“I have been very critical of the government’s last-minute approach to making decisions both on tiers and schools.
“I would encourage it to review the situation very carefully next week and if there are to be any further closures give schools plenty of time to prepare.
“It’s not as simple as asking an outsider to give an opinion or a view.
“My first instinct is to keep the schools open and provide the education that is so vital for children but that always has to be tempered by the reality of preventing the transmission of the virus.”
Schools in the city have been e-mailing parents over the weekend to inform them of their preparations to restart but some head teachers have said the situation could change very quickly before tomorrow.