Should teachers be extra vigilant to infection in their every day lives to reduce school transmission?

[WhyNotMe40]

As the latest PHE report states that in June there were more staff than students affected by the covid19 coronavirus, there are suggestions that teachers should take measures to reduce bringing the virus into schools.

Voting: do you think teachers should change how they behave out of schools to protect the school?
YABU yes
YANBU no

Also - what activities or behaviours do you think teachers should avoid or do to further this aim?

Anything at all.

They need to actually become the Teacher Who Lives In A Cupboard When School Is Closed, just like so many young children over the years have thought they are.

What makes you think they're not?

What would you like them to stop doing, OP?

I don't think its fair to expect teachers to limit their home lives in order to prevent infection spread at work when we don't expect this of other workplaces, they work to live not the other way around.

I'd much rather the government invested in robust infection control measures for schools and gave education the budget it needs in order to implement those measures.

Last time I looked, teachers aren't government property, they are employees, who are fully entitled to spend their time out of their workplace the way they wish, as long as it isn't illegal? Just like everyone else?

I don't know about taking extra measures regarding preventing taking the virus into schools OP; I already follow the guidelines.

But, I will certainly be careful about mixing with other staff at school - avoiding the staff room etc., not using the shared facilities (fridge, microwave etc). And I will continue to shower and change clothes when I return home every day.

What would be the point? Secondary school teachers will be exposed to hundreds of 11-18 year olds in close proximity every single day they are in school. Those students won’t be locking down their lives outside of school. If the teachers do, it won’t be significant enough to reduce transmission within school. I expect a lot of teachers, like healthcare workers have done during the pandemic, will stay apart from vulnerable family members as much as possible. Teachers in my extended family have said as much - through the autumn term, they won’t be visiting elderly parents unless through a window/from a distance. But whilst teachers are being rotated around gigantic year group ‘bubbles’ with no PPE and no means of staying 2m away from students at work, I don’t see why they can’t go to a shop or a restaurant where safety measures are actually in place. Big secondary schools will be the risky place to be and as long as the students are going about their lives, why shouldn’t the teachers?

Surely it is that they adhere to the guidance which we should all be doing? They are not being asked to do anything extra?

YADNBU

Surely everybody needs to be, and indeed is, extra vigilant to avoid catching and spreading it.
If you aren’t then you need to be, teacher or not.

I am starting a job as a TA in secondary, I will be extra cautious I don't spread it by being cautious at school and at home.

Well, I’m already avoiding supermarkets, don’t go into shops unless I know what I need, didn’t go abroad this summer (camped in half empty fields), don’t use public transport, don’t go to cinemas etc.... l don’t think that there is much else I can do, except not return to the classroom.

Perhaps if all the people I may come into contact with could do the same? That would be equally reasonable, surely?

@maddening

Surely it is that they adhere to the guidance which we should all be doing? They are not being asked to do anything extra?

They are being asked not to leave the school premises and grab lunch from a bakery/Pret/Costa.

Afaik no other work sector is being asked not to do this. Maybe NHS frontline in uniform ? But as schools are absolutely Covid - secure and one assumes takeaway food outlets should be too, I’m not sure why school staff are being singled out as having to bring their own food from home.

I will continue being careful in school and outside of it. I will not stop going out and about etc. This feels like teachers are being set up to be blamed for school closures if/when they occur. Just another thing to add to the list.

I shall be following the example of responsible behaviour set by Dominic Cummings.

@Saucery

Anything at all.

They need to actually become the Teacher Who Lives In A Cupboard When School Is Closed, just like so many young children over the years have thought they are.

But we don't have enough cupboards for one each.

As for the OP, no teachers and teaching staff shouldn't have to change their behaviour.

Voting: do you think teachers should change how they behave out of schools to protect the school?

Yes, teachers should limit their lives even further than they have already, and if they socialise or enjoy life at all they should be fired. Because that will really help with the teaching crisis and overcrowded classes.

It would mean my children being extra cautious too, eg not playing with a friend on the field at the weekend etc.

Will our non teacher parent pupils be doing that?

It's the whole of society's responsibility and our government's duty to put measures into place to keep infections down.

Eg track and trace which has been a shambles.

Maybe we could rephrase this as:

do you think parents* should change how they behave out of schools to protect the school?
do you think children* should change how they behave out of schools to protect the school?
do you think teenagers* should change how they behave out of schools to protect the school?

Teaching and school staff shouldn't need to change the way they live their life, as per the current Government guidelines for all, as they should be able to return to a Covid-secure workplace, following the guidelines for all employee/employers.

I'd be interested to hear the reasoning of those who voted YABU?

No point while secondary children don't have to wear masks. That's where teachers will get infected, despite Boris' lies.

If you think teachers should then we all should to avoid catching it and our DC taking it into school. Why on earth should teachers suffer while we all go about our lives normally? I m not a teacher by the way,.

I don't think that teachers should be held to a higher expectation than anyone else. We should all still be socially distancing shouldn't we?

However, I do think they should be seen to be sticking to the rules.

There have been lots of holiday snaps/selfies in the past few weeks of teachers (and yes I know them personally) from local primary schools hugging/kissing, socialising with friends (some of them parents from a number of schools) No social distancing at all, selfies and car sharing but no masks.

So not only are they putting other people at risk but they won't have a leg to stand on if they have issues about equipment/safety in school having made their non compliance of social distancing public

@WhyNotMe40 As a teacher yourself, are you planning to adjust your behaviour? Are you happy to accept a forced lockdown on the whole profession?

As we all know schools have magic walls where it is impossible for the virus to transmit so in theory you can do whatever you want as it won't be a problem.

On a more serious note, as long as normal guidelines are followed teachers should be able to carry on just like everyone else. For it to be inferred that it is their fault if the virus comes into the school and that they have to have tougher restrictions than anyone else eg not going to coffee shop, is just wrong.