Navigating schools’ new reality
Hamilton principals are grappling with keeping masks on children as young as 8, and a raft of other Covid rules.
But some fear it’s only a matter of time before schools may be forced to close with even these measures unlikely to keep Omicron out.
It will now be mandatory for all teachers, and students from year 4 up, to wear masks indoors. Teachers must wear surgical and N95 masks, but for children it is only recommended under the Government’s red setting.
Hamilton’s Hillcrest High School principal Kelvin Whiting says it is only a matter of time until Omicron spreads into schools, and more work needs to be done to make sure schools can stay open.
‘‘It’s not if Omicron hits schools, but when and to what extent,’’ Whiting told Stuff.
The principal of more than 1700 students said while there has been a lot of planning put into preventative measures, there has been little guidance from the Government on how a school can continue to run with low numbers of staff.
Schools will also need to start implementing their own contract tracing systems where infections arise, including compiling spreadsheets to identify close contacts.
‘‘I’ve got 170 teachers and if a large number get Omicron, or they are close contacts, and they have to go home and self-isolate, I don’t know if I will have enough teachers to run the school.’’
He said they could double up classes, send some students home, or revert to online learning, but if too many staff need to isolate for 14 days, planning will become a ‘‘nightmare’’.
The school is in discussions with the Ministry of Education on how to deal with this ‘‘worstcase scenario’’, but there are still a lot of unknowns, he said.
‘‘The reality is we may get to the point where we don’t have enough relievers and ... it would be difficult to expect a teacher who has Omicron to still teach from home. That would leave us no options but to close.’’
Meanwhile, Rhode Street School principal Shane Ngatai said the hardest task this term will be keeping an eye on parents’ behaviour at his Hamilton primary school.
In October, the ministry revoked its instruction to schools to keep records of which students have received their Covid-19 vaccine, or those who remain unvaccinated.
Schools also can’t ask whether a parent is vaccinated, or exclude students from activities such as
‘‘The reality is we may get to the point where we don’t have enough relievers and . . . it would be difficult to expect a teacher who has Omicron to still teach from home. ’’
Kelvin Whiting
Hamilton Hillcrest High School principal
trips or camps because they are not vaccinated.
Because of these restrictions, Ngatai said, the school has asked that no parents enter the school grounds unless they notify the school beforehand. This excludes parents with new entrants, who will be allowed to take their children onto the school grounds on the first day.
‘‘The irony is you can walk into a restaurant and be asked to show your vaccine pass, but in a school situation we can’t; we need to treat everyone as equal, vaxed or not vaxed,’’ Ngatai said.
‘‘But, at the end of the day, I’ve also got to balance that with safety, so I’m asking respectfully, regardless of whether they’re vaccinated or not that parents limit their time at the school and don’t go into the classrooms.’’
Making sure year 4s keep their masks on the whole day will also be tricky.
He said they have come up with ideas like having sessions where pupils can decorate and personalise their masks to encourage them to wear them.
Year 3s who have classes with year 4s will also be asked to wear a mask at Rhode Street.
‘‘We’ve got a lot of new students and the best thing we can do is make them feel that what we are doing is the best thing for them and that this is our new normal.’’
Ministry operations and integration hautū (leader) Sean Tedd said he recognised the challenges school leaders have navigating the changes.
He said last week the Government announced that case management and contact tracing will be managed differently in light of the Omicron variant and the ministry was working with the Ministry of Health to update its toolkits for school leaders.
‘‘Our immediate priority is to support schools and kura to reopen for the start of the year and to operate safely,’’ Tedd said.
‘‘As we have been doing throughout the Covid-19 response, our regional offices have regular catch-ups with school leaders to answer any questions they have and identify what, if any, support they will need to implement changes needed.’’
He said their regional offices will continue to work closely with local schools, kura and centres to provide support, including help to find alternatives if a relief teacher is not available.
He encourages any school, kura or centre facing staffing challenges to contact their regional office.