Teachers with underlying health issues, who are worried about the risks of returning to teach children and young adults, need further reassurance that all possible measures are being taken to ensure their safety, the Association of Secondary Teachers has said.
Speaking on Monday as hundreds of primary and secondary schools around the country reopened their doors to students for the first time in nearly six months, ASTI president Ann Piggott warned that many educators remained deeply concerned about the spread of Covid-19 in school settings. A recent snapshot survey carried out by the teachers’ union found a quarter of secondary schools didn’t have warm water while more than eight out of 10 had poor ventilation, she said. The union has also heard of teachers correcting copy books and eating lunches in their cars in recent days because staff rooms were no longer available, she added.
“Teachers want to be back in school but we need to ensure funding so that buildings can cope with changes while students who must stay home have access to wifi and a computer. Teachers now have to move from room to room and they’re telling us they want a Perspex screen around their desk. We would also like to see temperature checks and fast-tracked testing in schools.”
Some teachers remained very worried about their health, said Ms Piggott who has spoken to cancer survivors and one teacher who had a lung removed. “Teachers who are in very high-risk groups are in some cases being forced back into work without clarification on support from the HSE,” she said.
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