Media release – Tasmanian Association of State School Organisations Inc. (TASSO), 8 February 2021
Engagement, Confidence & Choice
Natham Reynolds, President of the Tasmanian Association of State School Organisations Inc. (TASSO) believes that the Department of Education (DoE) and the state government missed the most important part of instilling confidence and decreasing anxiety before state school students return to classrooms,
There was opportunity for round-table discussions with all stakeholders in state education. Questions could have been asked, solutions presented, answers formulated and a plan developed. A plan that all stakeholders could have been confident in, related to and all driving the same message. Now what we have are questions that cannot be answered, new plans and guidelines presented frequently.
As recently, as February 7th alterations were made to the DoE’s COVID-19 frequently asked questions for parents and carers. This is at a minimum the fourth alteration to the document in the past 19 days. The questions remain the but the answers change.
The Department of Education Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy 2018-2021 states that,
Families are respected and recognised for the vital role they play in the ongoing wellbeing of their children. Collaborating, connecting and authentically engaging with parents, care givers and families is critical to positively impacting learner wellbeing.
Decades of international, national and local research claim that student learning and wellbeing is positively impacted when schools and government departments genuinely work in partnership with families and communities, yet this has been basically ignored.
According to results from TASSO’s recent surveys and contacts to our organisation, families are finding it difficult and frustrating to find consistent information that is not contradictory. They are a calling for clear and honest information to be delivered through our schools and that information should be the same at all schools.
Families are calling for a choice in where their children receive their education, at home or in the classroom. From TASSO’s recent survey we know that out of the 658 respondents, 75% would like the option for full online learning.
Media release – Australian Education Union Tasmania, 8 February 2022
School survey confirms Government COVID planning failures
Just one in five educators feel safe returning to school this week and the same amount are comfortable with the State Government’s COVID preparedness, new Australian Education Union research shows.
AEU Tasmania President David Genford said the State Government had let down students and educators by failing to address teacher shortages pre-COVID and neglecting important safety measures in Tasmanian schools ahead of Term 1.
“The reality is, not enough has been done in our schools to protect students and teachers against the threat of COVID-19,” Mr Genford said.
“Teacher and staff shortages that hurt student learning last year are going to be worse this year and there’s no action or additional funding from this Government.”
“The Government has had weeks to improve its COVID Return to School plan, but instead we’ll see students return to classes on Wednesday with unacceptable, bare-minimum safety measures in place.”
It comes as AEU Tasmania last month released an eight-point school safety plan demanding a range of measures be implemented, including high protection masks for staff, free and available RATs and a full and transparent ventilation audit of all schools and colleges.
Mr Genford said results of a recent AEU member survey confirmed the Government’s COVID planning failures.
A snapshot of the survey results shows:
- Only 1 in 5 members feel safe returning to work.
- Just 20% of members are satisfied with Government’s COVID plan.
- 70% of members believe high-protection P2/N95 masks should be made available to staff.
- Almost half (45%) of members don’t have access to an outdoor learning space.
- Where outdoor eating and learning spaces do exist, many lack shade, shelter, seating and tables (35% of members have no outdoor eating areas or lack shelter/shade).
“When just 20 per cent of educators feel their workplace is safe, it’s clear much more needs to be done,” he said.
“That figure underlines the oft talked about idea that schools are being treated as childminding services, with the safety of staff sacrificed for the economy.”
Mr Genford said it was unacceptable the State Government had not increased teachers and support staff numbers in schools and colleges, despite shortages in previous years affecting student learning.
“The Government needs to act now to increase safety measures in our schools and colleges for the workforce that we do have, while also committing to increasing teaching and support staff, with money pledged in the next budget.
“Student learning is, of course, the top priority, which is why these Government safety failures must be immediately addressed and further disruption to learning avoided.”
Media release – Josh Willie MLC, 8 February 2022
How many school staff will government stand down as vaccine mandate comes into force?
The Gutwein Government and Acting Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff need to clarify how many school staff they will be standing down because they are not vaccinated, as the school year starts tomorrow.
Shadow Education Minister Josh Willie said the government had confirmed last night that 95 per cent of Education Department staff had provided proof they were vaccinated for COVID but that left serious questions about the remaining five per cent, including support staff, specialist teaching staff and teachers.
“Are schools prepared for their absence and are senior staff aware of their vaccination status?” Mr Willie said.
“The number of unvaccinated staff equates to hundreds and, at a time when the government is struggling to recruit teaching staff and conceding there will be shortages when COVID is detected in schools, those staff and parents need answers.
“There has been no clarity on this crucial issue as the vaccine mandate for teachers comes into effect today, despite the government confirming last month that all teachers will have to prove they are fully vaccinated by today to be able to return to classrooms.”
“As we start to return to school and the focus shifts, we’ve sent out a memo to remind them (teachers) that they need to have their details and their information uploaded by February 8 to be able to continue to teach in our schools.” Jenny Burgess, Education Department Deputy Secretary, January 22.
“The fact is this should have been sorted out well before now on the eve of schools going back.
“It’s becoming clearer that the government is scrambling to complete the work required to prepare schools for the inevitability of COVID outbreaks and while Education Minister Sarah Courtney still remains in Europe on holidays, it’s incumbent on Mr Rockliff to be doing everything possible to assure teachers and families.
“That includes releasing the modelling which has been carried out which shows a five per cent absence rate for staff and students would have an impact on schools and a 20 per cent rate would bring significant pressure to the school system.”
Media release – Jeremy Rockliff, Acting Minister for Education, 7 February 2022
Labor needs to stop unnecessarily scaring families
The Government has been open and upfront with Tasmanians as we transition into living with COVID-19, and Labor needs to stop scaring people and playing politics with the pandemic.
As part of a wide-ranging return to school plan, the Department of Education undertook internal workforce modelling to look at the impact of a broad range of scenarios.
I am advised this internal modelling was developed last month and was primarily designed as an assessment tool, rather than a predictive tool, to help the Department understand the impacts on schools under different scenarios and to consider appropriate workforce strategies.
This assessment indicated that a 5 per cent absence rate for staff and students would be considered at the lower end of impact, and that while there would be significant pressure at a 20 per cent staff and student absence rate, the combination of strategies at the school and Department level would mean core learning for students would be maintained and impacts appropriately managed.
Thanks to the broad range of workforce strategies we have put in place, the community can have high levels of confidence in our Plan and in the ability of schools to maintain services.
We have made it clear on a number of occasions that we have access to a pool of 1,700 relief teachers including 353 in the North-West, 466 in the North and 952 in the South.
The Government has also made it clear that any relief teachers engaged to undertake one or more shifts and contract COVID-19, or are required to isolate as a close contact, will be granted COVID-19 leave with pay.
I understand that while voluntary leave revisitation is listed as one of the potential strategies within the Operational Plan for Managing COVID-19 in schools, this would only be pursued in the event of high levels of workforce capacity concerns.
In addition the following items will be delivered before school returns as part of our COVID-19 in Schools Plan:
*4,500 Portable Air Purifiers;
*1,560,000 Surgical Masks;
*600,000 Junior Surgical Masks;
*200,000, Rapid Antigen Tests for Teachers and Students with more than 1.5 million available to supply our schools in the coming weeks; and
*64,000 Student Care Packs.
Importantly, all schools will have sufficient supplies of RATs so that staff can take a test if symptomatic or become a close contact, in line with the Public Health advice which has informed Tasmania’s Operational Plan for Managing COVID-19 in Schools
Public Health advice is that children have a lower risk of hospitalisation than adults, and with lower transmissions in Tasmania, children should only be tested if they are symptomatic.
All school students will be provided with access to two RAT tests a week to use if they are symptomatic or become a close contact.
Finally, I can advise that there are more than 95 per cent of department staff who have provided their evidence of vaccination.
The Department continues to proactively work with staff to ensure they are supported to provide documentation before school returns on 9 February.
Media release – Dr Rosalie Woodruff MP, Greens Health spokesperson, 7 February 2022
School returns on Wednesday and it’s increasingly clear Tasmania has the worst back to school plan in the country.
When they walk back into classrooms, no high school or primary school student will be fully vaccinated, nor will college students have had their booster. Unlike other states, parents are being told only to test their children if they develop symptoms.
Today the Secretary of Education confirmed there will be no regular CO2 monitoring in schools, with monitors only brought into classrooms if teachers raise concerns.
With no reassurance about the safety of their children and an Education Minister who is still not at her desk, Tasmanian parents will rightly be anxious as they prepare to send their children back to school this week.
