Covid in Schools

Polka_Dot

Wow, that document is something else.

"11. How long is the average amount of time before tracing commences currently?

It is difficult to calculate the average time to contact trace at present. Once the backlog is cleared, contact tracing should be back to 24 hours (depending on the volume of cases)"

i.e. We don't know, ideally it should be 24 hours, but probably won't be

amacca

History Queen wrote: »

Is death by acronym the Dept. version of death by a thousand cuts?

One would think the JCT had a hand in it:D. Its the same strategy as the new junior cert ...make steaming pile of ****e seem like a glstening diamond via acronym.............except most humans know a polished turd is ultimately destined to be just a turd.

yankinlk

gaiscioch wrote: »

Your instincts are correct here. This is really the big story and Emma O’Kelly has been hinting at it for the past week or so: the situation in schools is considerably worse than is being reported. On Monday she reported here how schools were having to follow up with the HSE to see if a student had been confirmed as positive. That whole article should make any teacher nervous as there’s clearly a policy to give as little information as possible to the schools.

I found out that one of my students tested positive early last week but nobody in the school told me, or any other teacher, that we had a confirmed case in our classroom. Nada. How many other cases are going similarly unreported? Like most/all other secondary school teachers I can have up to, or above, 200 students in my class on my 8/9-class days. And I go home to my own family after that. Where else in Irish society is this sort of working environment being allowed? The rules are all changed just to keep the schools open. That’s one thing - actually refusing to be transparent about the reality and feeding the media rigged statistics about “low transmission” is quite another.

It would appear that teachers do not actually have a right to know that there have been confirmed cases in their classrooms, even when the student is spending hours in their (frequently small) classroom per week. I don’t need to know who’s getting tested, but I think we have a right to know if somebody who tests positive has been in our class. That we are not given that is making me distrust the entire system and transparency regarding the reality in schools. Quite frankly, my own experience is that the reality is being brushed over because they’re determined come hell or high water to keep the schools open at all costs.

I want to keep schools open, as online teaching is a joke - and that’s just alluding to the unfit-for-purpose online teaching technology (Hello, “not compatible” battles between Microsoft and Apple). However, when the state is not giving teachers the truth about who has tested positive and is fiddling statistics left, right and centre - you can be sure my student last week will not be on any official record of Covid-19 in schools! - there’s a growing distrust of anything the state is saying about Covid-19 in schools.

I surmise my experience of the “statistics” is far from isolated and is, as Emma O’Kelly’s article above intimates, being replicated in schools across the state. We, teachers, have a right to know when we have positive Covid-19 cases in our classrooms, and the unions need to stand up for us on this specific health and safety issue. There’s zero respect for us from our employer in denying us that right.

You do realise the school is in the community. A child has a greater chance of catching covid at home from someone in their own house than from someone at school.

wirelessdude01

https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2020/1029/1174575-coronavirus-global/

All children aged 6 and upwards must wear masks in class.

khalessi

yankinlk wrote: »

You do realise the school is in the community. A child has a greater chance of catching covid at home from someone in their own house than from someone at school.

Due to the limiting of contact tracing in schools and definitions of what is a close contact that may not be true. There are cases in the comnunity they dont know where they originated from and the idea of it being a school is verboden.

wexfordman2

yankinlk wrote: »

You do realise the school is in the community. A child has a greater chance of catching covid at home from someone in their own house than from someone at school.

That must be very reassuring when the teacher is in contact with 2to 300 people within the same community during the week.

shesty

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2020/1029/1174575-coronavirus-global/

All children aged 6 and upwards must wear masks in class.

They have about 40,000+ cases a day and rising, while ours are trending downwards at a good bit less than a 1000 a day.


I understand where you are coming from as a teacher, but unfortunately it is not like for like, and will probably not be adopted here.

Moody_mona

khalessi wrote: »

This along with the update in the Covid App to pause it while in healthcare setting or education setting stinks.

I see there is now a pause button in the Covid app, but I don't see where it says to pause it in an education setting? It also gave an update on what to do if you are a close contact in an education setting. Are you mixing these two updates together? Thanks!

khalessi

Moody_mona wrote: »

I see there is now a pause button in the Covid app, but I don't see where it says to pause it in an education setting? It also gave an update on what to do if you are a close contact in an education setting. Are you mixing these two updates together? Thanks!

I will get you the link but apparently they edited out that line since.

Hopefully this works
https://www.facebook.com/VoiceForTeachers/photos/a.531109630263048/4797232960317339/

It did say pause funtion for specific education and healthcare settings. THe screenshot is doing the rounds on twitter

wirelessdude01

shesty wrote: »

They have about 40,000+ cases a day and rising, while ours are trending downwards at a good bit less than a 1000 a day.


I understand where you are coming from as a teacher, but unfortunately it is not like for like, and will probably not be adopted here.

Well the science shouldn't be any different whether there are 4 cases or 40,000 cases.
If kids aren't a factor like we are being spoonfed here then why are the French doing this or do they have a different variant of Covid than u

Moody_mona

khalessi wrote: »

I will get you the link but apparently they edited out that line since.

Hopefully this works
https://www.facebook.com/VoiceForTeachers/photos/a.531109630263048/4797232960317339/

It did say pause funtion for specific education and healthcare settings. THe screenshot is doing the rounds on twitter

Cheers, appreciate that. I hadn't seen or heard of a previous screenshot, and it doesn't read to me from your link or from the info in my own Covid app that teachers should pause it. Thanks for the info!

khalessi

Moody_mona wrote: »

Cheers, appreciate that. I hadn't seen or heard of a previous screenshot, and it doesn't read to me from your link or from the info in my own Covid app that teachers should pause it. Thanks for the info!

It was there this morning the mention of pausing the app in education sector will get link to twitter photo

shesty

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Well the science shouldn't be any different whether there are 4 cases or 40,000 cases.
If kids aren't a factor like we are being spoonfed here then why are the French doing this or do they have a different variant of Covid than u

Context - from what the French are saying this is an "extra effort", ie, it sounds temporary - in light of their cases being about 40 times greater than ours.


I am not saying they are right or wrong, simply that given the trends of the numbers, it is an unlikely move here.



Also, irrelevant but apparently a mutation has happened in the virus.


https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/majority-of-irish-covid-19-cases-come-from-variant-that-originated-in-spain-study-1.4394152

km79

http://twitter.com/emma_okelly/status/1321863447840215040


Extended mid term on the way .....

km79

https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2020/1029/1174742-schools-covid-19/

“Full withdrawal or replacement by Monday morning “
2 huge suppliers (shaws and Lennox ) on the list
Will there even be enough available by Monday ......they have a decision to make now
Enough is enough

Icyseanfitz

km79 wrote: »

http://twitter.com/emma_okelly/status/1321863447840215040


Extended mid term on the way .....

Not a hope, they will gladly have us sanatising with acid to keep schools open fully at this stage

8k71ps

They'd issue novichok instead of hand sanitizer and they'd still keep the schools open

Alqua

Principals were really in need of this break and all!

km79

Alqua wrote: »

I'm sure principals were really in need of this break and all!

I think they are actually enabling the ineptitude of the Dept now
They should just say NO
We will check on Monday and let ye know then. If we can get a supply we will reopen Tuesday . If not we will reopen when we have a supply .........

Who is being held accountable for all of this ?
The Dept love using that word when it suits them .....

JimmyVik

It might be a way for nphet and the govt to get schools closed for a few days without getting too much egg on their faces.

Mardy Bum

km79 wrote: »

I think they are actually enabling the ineptitude of the Dept now
They should just say NO
We will check on Monday and let ye know then. If we can get a supply we will reopen Tuesday . If not we will reopen when we have a supply .........

Who is being held accountable for all of this ?
The Dept love using that word when it suits them .....

The Public Accounts Committee should be hauling the Secretary General in front of them immediately but don't count on it because that may lead to schools closing.
The Secretary General should be near his

km79

JimmyVik wrote: »

It might be a way for nphet and the govt to get schools closed for a few days without getting too much egg on their faces.

Nope
Principals are to go in over the weekend
They can hire a covid aid for two days if they want
Did you ever hear the likes of it !

khalessi

km79 wrote: »

Nope
Principals are to go in over the weekend
They can hire a covid aid for two days if they want
Did you ever hear the likes of it !

Seriously!!! That is ridiculous, principals have enough going on as it is. Where is the mental wellbeing for staff the Dept were going on about?

History Queen

khalessi wrote: »

Seriously!!! That is ridiculous, principals have enough going on as it is. Where is the mental wellbeing for staff the Dept were going on about?

Probably on a webinar....or a PowerPoint ....

wirelessdude01

khalessi wrote: »

Seriously!!! That is ridiculous, principals have enough going on as it is. Where is the mental wellbeing for staff the Dept were going on about?

Just a buzz word, may not exist in reality.

km79

http://twitter.com/Education_Ire/status/1321870203324669953

Yep
Has to be done by Monday
Can “hire “ a covid aide for two days
So spend tonight looking through the list and/or drive to the school
Then text/email staff who are on their holidays as well to see if they want to come in for Saturday and Sunday ?

When you think about it it’s absolutely outrageous......but never fear the Unions demands won’t be net by tomorrow evening so they will close the schools then .............

wirelessdude01

Two of the unions may put out a statement after the fact. That would be their form alright.

wirelessdude01

All the tweets yesterday telling us how exceptional Norma is all make sense now.

They knew this further debacle with the products was coming down the tracks.

History Queen

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

All the tweets yesterday telling us how exceptional Norma is all make sense now.

They knew this further debacle with the products was coming down the tracks.

Why do I have that niggling feeling that there is more to come?

wirelessdude01

History Queen wrote: »

Why do I have that niggling feeling that there is more to come?

I have that as well.