THE PRIMARY PRINCIPAL FUNDS FOR CLEANING AND SUBSTITUTES NEEDED

PRIMARY school principal Shane O’Donnell said the Government plan to be unveiled tomorrow needs to address availability of substitute teachers, enhanced cleaning strategies, extra teaching space and significantly increased funding.

“We will need practical help preparing our classrooms and school. It’s not rocket science,” said O’Donnell, principal of Four Mile House National School in Co Roscommon.

If a teacher gets sick, pupils cannot be divided among the remaining teachers as overcrowding in the four classrooms is not allowed any more. Substitute teachers, and provision for their pay, must be available or the school could face having to send an entire class home, he said.

Only people who are suitably qualified, with up-to-date Garda vetting, can be considered to take over the role of an absent teacher. And what will happen if a child gets sick as the school does not have an isolation room, he asked.

There will be 33 pupils in the fourth class in September but O’Donnell needs to know if there will be one-metre social distancing or none. Will furniture need to be removed even though it cannot be stored in the hallway for fire safety reasons?

No social distancing is expected for younger pupils in second class and below. But one-metre distancing for older pupils would mean he would have to consider seeking permission to use the local community centre for classes.

Cleaning in rural schools is usually done by part-time workers and finding ways of meeting much more stringent cleaning obligations will be a challenge, O’Donnell said.

The possibility of providing hot water for pupil handwashing will need to be considered for funding, he added.

‘We need practical help — it’s not rocket science’