The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) is calling for a meeting with health officials over concerns about schools reopening amidst the pandemic this week.
It comes as teachers who are vulnerable to serious illness have been told they must come into school.
Teachers with illnesses including chronic kidney disease, cancer and serious heart disease have said they are being required to go back into classrooms, despite the rising number of Covid-19 cases in Ireland.
With some schools beginning to re-open this week, the Department of Education is telling staff who are only in the “very high risk” category to cocoon.
The ASTI has written to the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD asking him to intervene to secure a meeting between the union and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) regarding the re-opening of schools for those in the “high risk” category.
This follows a letter from the HPSC to the ASTI yesterday refusing the union’s request for such a meeting.
The ASTI said it is receiving a significant number of calls from teachers with concerns about their safety and students’ safety.
