Minister, it’s time for you to educate us on the schools situation
I’M writing to you this week on behalf of the parents of Ireland. Firstly, I hope you’re well? We haven’t seen much of you at all of late. It’s concerning as – here’s the thing – we could really use your help right now.
This day next week, for the first time in over six months, we will be packing off our children and sending them back to school.
As you might be able to understand, in the current environment, we are particularly nervous. I don’t have to tell you that this is no ordinary September.
It’s not just because we are sending our children back into the public realm at a time when community transmission of the virus is rising – although that is a huge concern – but we are feeling just a little abandoned at a time when we have a lot of questions for you.
Despite being a nation of solidarity, with a nationwide responsibility to keep each other safe, every school in Ireland has been left to its own devices to establish its own logistical plan, with an exacting level of detail left up to each school. This has led to major disparity, confusion and fear among us parents as we try to navigate this difficult week. I’ve already had differing advice from a friend whose child is in a different school to mine, about bringing home school projects, for example. And from another about school uniforms. And yet another about sporting activities between pupils of varying schools.
Vague
Yes, you revealed what you described as a ‘comprehensive’ plan last month – the Road Map for the Full Return to School. But unfortunately this seems to be contradicting itself from the get-go, given that (a) each school must find its own way – a huge burden of responsibility in the circumstances – and (b) despite its promise of comprehension, it seems to be falling short, due to the fact we still don’t really know exactly what’s going on. Yesterday evening’s Department of Health briefing confirmed that the HSE has released guidelines on when children should be kept at home because, let’s face it, the coughs and sneezes are going to spread pretty quickly from next week onwards.
We’ve been told to keep them out if they’ve a high temperature, or a new cough and other possible symptoms of Covid, and if they’ve been in contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus or who is experiencing Covid-like symptoms.
Speaking at yesterday’s briefing, it was Dr Mary Favier of the Irish College of General Practitioners who gave us the advice that if a child is ‘otherwise well’, but ‘just constantly sniffles and sneezes all the time, they can go to school’. Sorry but as a worried parent, this advice sounds a little vague.
We are still waiting on other information, such as the protocol in the event of a student testing positive in a school, advice on Covid testing for children and isolation measures at that point, and the little details as to whether we should wash our children’s uniforms daily, or bring food in lunch boxes or paper bags.
What about immunocompromised children, or those who live in a house where a parent has an underlying health issue? Should they go to school or how will they learn?
And how will children with special or additional needs be supported?
Are there provisions for distance learning and home schooling for those who don’t want to risk sending their children to school while community transmission is rising?
For some parents, Norma, grandparents are the only option of childcare that we have. Is that still an option for us, given the risks involved? What are your thoughts on this?
And the latest advice on keeping a child out for 48 hours if they present with a symptom have you worked out how this will affect parents working days and childcare issues?
I have two young daughters, for example, and chances are they are going to have the usual coughs and colds with mild fevers in the coming weeks.
I’m foreseeing a lot of absent days from school and little support for working parents. I really hope I’m wrong. We’d love some reassurance, if you could spare the time.
It was so nice to hear your voice – albeit briefly – on radio last Friday, when you addressed the issue of school transport for secondary students, and the problem of not having enough buses to allow for safe social distancing measures. You reassured us that you are rolling out measures as quickly as possible. But until that happens – and 1,600 buses are procured from Bus Éireann – school transport will proceed as planned.
Fragile
Can you see how this is worrying to us, Norma? We have spent half a year keeping to restrictions and guidelines, only for that fragile safety to be endangered because the right plans do not seem to be in place.
We understand that this is an evolving situation, but let’s be frank here: working out something as simple as numbers on a school bus should have been done months ago, with all scenarios foreseen.
You say you’ve put in all the precautions necessary to keep our children safe, yet can you see how it’s hard to have confidence at this point in time?
I have to admit, it was very disappointing to not see you in person at yesterday’s press conference, given the week that’s in it. It just all feels a little bit disorganised, Norma.
It’s 11th-hour stuff and it’s simply not enough.
We are being told to work from home while our children brave the unknown, and we are scared. On radio last week you spoke of your colleague Dara Calleary’s lack of judgment and how there are ‘clear and unambiguous rules’ to keep each other safe. Suffice to say, that’s not quite the case.
I am baffled that it took so long to tell parents the most basic information, and in the week before school starts, it seems we are still left wanting.
You’re a teacher, so you will be more than familiar with the habit of procrastination, and how frustrating it can be. Can you see how it could be perceived that the Government – far from putting children and parents first at this pivotal point of the year, and in light of the appalling behaviour that emerged last week – is doing anything but?
You say to allow for flexibility in these times, and that’s all well and good, but this ‘drip, drip’ of information at this stage is fuelling fear.
We understand you’re awaiting NPHET’s advice. But the thing is, we are awaiting you. We need your help so we can help our children and keep us all safe. Think of us as your students – we need to learn how to do this. We need to know that everything is going to be OK. You need to connect with us on a human level. We need you to inspire some confidence in us by having open, honest conversations about the practicalities of educating our children during a pandemic.
Could we kick off this very nerve-wracking school term with a big old parent-teacher meeting? Not face-to-face in the current climate, but an address to the nation of worried parents would be no bad idea right now.
That way at least, Norma, you won’t have been a stranger.