Queensland students are set to return to school over the next two weeks, but the state government is yet toreleasea COVID-19 management plan, leaving parents and teachers with many questions about how the virus will be dealt with in classrooms.
Key points:
- A COVID-19 management plan across schools will be released within two weeks before schools resumes
- Families with vulnerable family members are calling for online learning to be made available
- Shadow Education Minister Christian Rowan says the government's delay in releasing a plan has left families with "nothing but uncertainty"
The education department said a "robust plan", which includes guidance on testing and isolation protocols, hadbeen givento cabinet, but no release date has been announced.
The government previously said it would release its plan last Monday but delayed it because Education Minister Grace Grace tested positive for COVID.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuksaid she had "no concern" about delaying the release of the plan.
"Schools don't officially go back until the seventh of February," she said.
"Parents will have more than a week to know very clearly what our back-to-school plan is, so it's just being finalised at the moment.
"Parents will be hearing that in the next couple of days, I will definitely have it well in advance of school going back."
Year 11 and 12 students are due to start the year with a week of online learning on Monday, with face-to-face learning beginning for all other year levels onFebruary 7.
Ninety-eightper cent of Queensland's state school teachers are fully vaccinated and the education department said there were 5,000 fully vaccinated relief teachers on stand-by should they be required.
'Noplan in place' for vulnerable school families
Parents like Springfield Lakes mum Chantelle Mclean are anxious about the return to school and what that will mean for her vulnerable family.
She has multiple sclerosis and recently had chemotherapy.
Her 18-year-old son has an acquired brain injury and she isworried her 15-year-old son, who is due to start year 10, could bring the virus home with him.
"He's fully vaccinated and he might be fine. But if he passes it to me in the household, I know that I probably won't be, and as a single parent, where does that leave my kids?" she said.
She called for a plan for families with vulnerable members to be able to access online learning.
"The idea of him going back to school absolutely terrifies me at the moment," Ms Mclean said.
"I've been in contact with the school and they are not quite sure what to do about the issue, they're not going to be offering virtual schooling to the kids that start in just over a week.
"My son would love to be back at school with his mates. I know he's missing them.
"At the same time my point is, you know, is it worth the risk? Is it worth the risk of him bringing COVID into the household?
"I understand life does need to go back to normal butthis is more to do with the fact there's no plan in place for people in my position, and I'm not the only person that is worried."
Kate Wilson also has a vulnerable child and echoes the concerns for their safety.
She isworried about sending her son back to school this year as he hasonly had one dose of a COVID vaccine.
His two younger siblings, one of which has an underlying health condition, are not yet eligible for the jab.
"When we're told to avoid going out if you have vulnerable members of your family, we can't understand why online learning is not on the table at the moment," Ms Wilson said.
"We understand that our child needs his education and needs to return to learning of some kind.
"It would be more helpful to know or to have information forthcoming on how our family will be protected in the way that we've been protected to this point.
"There's no way that we obviously want to see him lose access to education. It's the most important part of life for him. We also want to know that our vulnerable child is safe as well."
'Virtually impossible' to stopspread in schools
Griffith University infectious diseases expert Nigel McMillan said it would be "virtually impossible" to stop the virus spreading through schools once they reopened.
"Like opening the state borders, this is just something we've got to go through," Professor McMillan said.
"If you think workplace absenteeism is an issue now, there's going to be lots of parents out because their kids are sick, not because they are.
"I think that will be a problem in February."
Professor McMillan did not advocate testing school children for COVID-19 twice a week with RATs as will happen in NSW and Victoria once school resumes there next week.
"If you're trying to prevent things, you'd test them every day, but we're not trying to do that anymore," he said.
"We're basically in a controlled release setting and by keeping the sick child at home, you're going to prevent further transmission."
Schools left to make their own protocols
Independent Education Union Queensland branch secretary Terry Burke saidhis members also have questions for the government.
"What are the expectations with regard to the management of a [COVID-19] contact at the school level?" Mr Burke said.
"What are the guidelines with how you deal with that as an education institution?"
Mr Burke also raised questions around the use of rapid antigen testsat schools and who would be responsible for sourcing and supplying them.
"If there is a role for them and there probably should be, who's going to provide them and under what terms?" he said.
"I think the expectation would be that they are provided free to schools to deploy consistent with whatever guidelines the government determines with regard to their use and their provision."
He saidwithout a detailed plan from the government, it will be up to individual schools to make their own protocols.
"At the end of the day, schools are about education, they're not de-facto testing facilities, but they will need to have protocols in place for if there is a notifiedcontact, and how are they going to deal with it, whether it's a staff member, whether it's a student, what are they now going to do?" he said.
Mr Burke said although independent schools were not run by the government, they still give the sector advice.
"It would be good if we had from the state government, a clear statement about the parameters in terms of back to school, and then [independent schools] can use that as a reference point for whatever they're doing," he said.
"We understand the context of that, with the Minister being unwell, and so on, but it would be helpful if we actually did have a reference point to provide the advice."
Minister's positive COVID test delaysrelease of plan
Education Minister Grace Grace tested positive forthe virus on Tuesday and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that had delayed the release of the government's back-to-school plan.
On Thursday, Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said Ms Grace wouldbe "out and about very soon" and would be able to announce the plan before school starts.
"Parents can be very comfortable knowing that the kids can come back to school, and we'll have everything in place," Ms D'Ath said.
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Opposition spokesman for education Christian Rowan criticised the government's delay in releasing a plan.
"Schools and families were told that the full back-to-school plan would be released on Monday this week," Dr Rowan said.
"Now they are being told it will be released some day before school resumes.
"At a time where planning is essential, schools, families and educators are left with nothing but uncertainty.
"It is now less than two weeks before the proposed return to school, and still no comprehensive plan has been released."
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