‘We are eight weeks out from reopening and what parents need is certainty’

Schools across Meath are demanding clarity of what measures will have to be in place when students return in late August, early September.

Social distancing and the cost of continuous sanitizing of schools are major hurdles that have to be overcome when they reopen for the new term.

According to Cllr Nick Killian, the chairman of the Louth Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB), the Department of Education will have to provide funding for the additional cost of continuous sanitizing and deep cleaning of schools.

“We still have no final instructions on opening up but the LMETB intend to open both our national schools and post primary schools in September.

“The guidelines we received last week raised a lot of issues.

“There will be additional costs involved and additional staff needed for the ongoing sanitizing and deep cleaning.

“Two metre social distancing means we won't be able to fully open schools and one metre means will present problems for some schools.

“We are eight weeks out from reopening and parents are beginning to look for certainty, but we cannot give it as of today,” he said.

Cllr Killian said that LMETB will open two brand new schools, Dunshaughlin Community National School and Enfield Community School and both will have room for social distancing.

“All school principals and managements are meeting and looking to see what they can do,

“The biggest concern is the need for additional staff and the increased costs of cleaning,” he said.

“I am getting calls from concerned parents who want to know what will be happening,” he said.

Colin Quigley of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) in Meath said there were many uncertainties regarding the reopening of schools.

“We really have to look at what can be done about social distancing.

“We have one of the highest pupil teacher ratios in Europe and this will present a problem.”

He pointed out that in his own school, Cortown National School there could be up to 28 children in a mixed group of first and second class.

“Space is going to be a major problem,” he said.

Mr Quigley pointed out that there will be teachers with underlying health conditions and who have family members who are vulnerable that will have to be kept safe.

“We need to be upskilled in blended learning and there is a problem where many students are in online blackspots.”

Meanwhile, The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals has said a full return to school in late August-September would be the “best outcome”, provided it is safe to do so for all students and staff.

The association was making a presentation today (Tuesday) to the Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19 Response, on key challenges set for schools and school leaders as return to traditional post-primary education is planned.

Alan Mongey, NAPD President and Paul Byrne, NAPD Deputy Director outlined the challenges facing post-primary education as schools plan to reopen.

The NAPD says that as the reopening of schools will create huge responsibility for all involved, centralised Department of Education support, guidance, and procurement is essential to reduce the burden that will be placed on school leaders.

They are calling for the appointment of a Covid-19 assistant to implement and monitor full public health guidelines and a financial investment to allow the purchase of increased cleaning and social distancing infrastructure.

NAPD is calling on education stakeholders to use Covid-19 as a precedent for rolling out blended learning, Leaving Cert reform and digitalisation, all progressions it describes as having previously been “unworkable” and which now are completely necessary.”

See the reaction from local school principals in this week's paper