The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland is calling for the delayed and staggered reopening of schools after the Christmas holidays.
Education Minister Norma Foley will meet with teachers’ unions and representatives ahead of the reopening of schools this Thursday.
But ASTI said it would be an “unacceptable risk” to reopen without additional safety measures in the context of the Omicron wave.
The union is calling for updated risk assessments to be presented prior to schools re-opening later this week.
“The priority must be that students and school staff can learn and work in an environment where there are appropriate safety measures in place to protect all concerned,” said ASTI President Eamon Dennehy.
The union said that face to face teaching with examination classes should be prioritised. Key concerns include:
- Safety of school communities.
- Staff shortages due to Covid.
- Inadequate ventilation and lack of HEPA filtration units.
- Provision of medical grade masks (e.g. FFP2).
- Risks to medically high-risk individuals.
“We will be asking the Minister to consider making antigen tests available for all parents and their children to be used prior to going to school as a supplement to the existing testing and tracing regime in second-level schools.
“The ASTI will also be calling for the speedy rollout of HEPA filtration units. It beggars belief that almost two years into this pandemic this basic facility is not in place where necessary.”
