From The Age: Teachers fight easing of isolation rules for close contacts

Teachers’ unions are pushing back against plans to allow school staff who have been in close contact with a COVID case to skip isolation and keep working on-site, warning the looming change will increase the risk of the coronavirus spreading through school communities.

Principals are already bracing for a potentially severe staff shortage in term one that threatens to disrupt plans for a statewide resumption of face-to-face learning.

But unions for the government and non-government school sectors are warning the planned relaxation of isolation rules risks increasing the number of COVID-19 cases, particularly among unvaccinated schoolchildren.

School and early learning staff have been placed on a list of essential workerswho from Wednesday will be exempted from COVID-19 isolation rules requiring close contacts to isolate at home for seven days.

The exemptions also apply to police, fire services, freight and transport, and critical care, and when they were announced last week the Andrews government said the changes were necessary to keep essential services operating while COVID cases grow.

The Independent Education Union, which represents teachers in Catholic and independent schools, said it feared the change would undermine efforts to make schools as safe as possible when students return.

“The exemption of education staff from isolation rules is no solution,” the union’s Victoria and Tasmania branch president Deb James said.

“Putting individual teachers in the terrible position where they must choose between potentially infecting their students and colleagues or leaving their class untaught is irresponsible and dangerous.

“We want schools to remain open to on-campus learning, but not at the cost of unacceptable risk to staff and students.”

Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Meredith Peace said changing close contact isolation rules was a poor solution to concerns about staff shortages while Omicron cases surge.

“Not only do they compromise the safety of education staff, but also pose a greater risk to the health and wellbeing of students, especially those who have not yet been vaccinated, and could increase the numbers of people infected with COVID-19,” Ms Peace said.

State and federal governments are poised to confirm a national plan for the return to school on Thursday.

Education Minister James Merlino acknowledged on Monday that staff absences will be difficult to manage when school resumes.

“It’s impacting our health system, it’ll be a challenge for me as Education Minister when schools resume at the end of this month,” he said. “We’re seeing it right across industry.”

But Mr Merlino said the Andrews government wants to see students back in front of their teachers and with their classmates.

Term one for most Victorian schools begins on January 31, although some non-government schools will start earlier.

Colin Axup, president of the Victorian Association of State School Principals, said schools faced a statewide shortage of casual relief teachers that could make it impossible to put a teacher in every classroom.

“The challenge is going to be staffing; there has already been a shortage of [casual relief teachers] and that is not going to improve at the beginning of this year,” he said.

Mr Axup said there were three main reasons for the shortage: older, recently retired teachers who might be reluctant to work on-site due to concerns about COVID-19; the statewide tutoring program, which has already recruited thousands of relief and retired teachers; and a dearth of international students who would ordinarily do work placements in schools.

“Add those three things together … and you end up with a perfect storm.”

Ms James said the Independent Education Union was also pushing for rapid antigen tests and P2/N95 masks to be made free and available to all school staff.

“Right now, we are all dealing with the legacy of the failure of the federal government to plan for another wave.” she said. “The debacle over the accessibility of COVID testing is continuing, and must be resolved before schools can safely return.”

The Andrews government took delivery of the first 3 million of 44 million rapid antigen tests on Sunday, amid a statewide shortage of testing kits that is affecting industry and essential services’ ability to operate.

Mr Merlino said rapid antigen tests, face masks and air purifiers will play a key role in opening schools on day one of term one.