Teaching unions are starting to call for a delay to the reopening of Scottish school buildings after the Christmas holidays, as cases of the Omicron Covid variant continue to rise sharply.
Here is what some of the key players are saying:
EIS teaching union
“The Scottish government must be led by the science and act in the best interests of protecting public health,” general secretary Larry Flanagan said in the Scotland on Sunday newspaper. ”If that necessitates schools moving to remote learning for a period, then that is a step that the government must not be afraid to take.”
Mr Flanagan also said: “There is a clear need for strong mitigations once schools reopen after the break, with enhanced cleaning regimes, improvements in ventilation and the continuation of other measures such as the use of face coverings and appropriate physical distancing measures.”
Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association
“If the numbers keep going up - and it looks like that is going to be the case for some time to come - then we are not going to be in a fit state to reopen schools as normal in January,” SSTA general secretary Seamus Searson told Scotland on Sunday.
He added: “We’re already hearing of schools that are not fully staffed and parents are keeping their kids off to ensure they don’t catch Covid in the run-up to Christmas.
“The idea that we need to keep schools open at all costs just doesn’t add up.”
Scottish government
A spokesperson said: “The Scottish government is not considering school closures.
“As the first minister [Nicola Sturgeon] has made clear, protecting the education of children and young people remains a top priority.
“National school closures would only be an absolute last resort.
“Covid-19 protections will be reviewed on a daily basis due to the rapid increase in cases of the Omicron variant.”
On Friday, the government published revised Covid safety advice for schools that included details of how staff in key public services - including teachers - could “volunteer” for an exemption to self-isolation.
In an email to members on Friday, the EIS teaching union said that it opposed this plan and that its members should self-isolate when identified as a close contact, otherwise they ”may be putting colleagues and even pupils at risk by attending school”.
The union added: “Unlike some critical workers whose absence from work is irreplaceable, teachers and schools can provide temporary continuity of education through remote learning.”
The NASUWT teaching union said: ”The government must explain how they will ensure that teachers who should be self-isolating are not placed under pressure to return to the workplace prematurely, which could put others at risk.”
