AIBU or are the lives of school staff worthless?

[Witchcraftandhokum]

I fully appreciate that the education and mental well-being of children is important but why does it trump the physical and mental health of school staff? The facts are simple, people are being told to stay at home because it is unsafe to do otherwise, unless you work in education or the NHS who are provided with effective PPE.

On a daily basis I am expected to supervise the diner where 150 students eat lunch (obviously mask free) if I wish to eat I am also mask free. I have to supervise the same 150 children in narrow corridors. For this pupils are supposed to wear masks but there are a number who refuse (not the students who are exempt) and we cannot enforce it. We hand out hundreds of masks per week to students whose parents don't ensure they have one with them.

We are not allowed to wear masks in classrooms but are given visors which aren't as effective. The children are not allowed to wear masks in classrooms. None of this are rules imposed by the school but are in-line with the government guidance.

We have students who say they have developed a cough knowing we have to send them home, we cannot make the decision as to whether they are lying or not, but I've been verbally abused by parents calling me "fucking stupid" for not knowing when a child is lying.

Before half-term we had 25% of staff off sick as they had tested positive (including myself). There are many experts stating schools should be shut but Boris has done a fantastic job of insinuating that school staff are lazy and don't want to work, and the early response to the unions concerns shows that this is working. I've never suffered with stress or anxiety but the thought of a return to school tomorrow is making me feel sick.

Talking to colleagues who work in other schools it appears my experience is not unusual. So AIBU to think that this government doesn't give a shiny shit about school staff.

Masks are about protecting others - not yourself and no - not all police can wear masks depends on the risk assessment as they can be used as a weapon.

What a childish thing to say!!! 😂

@PheasantPlucker1 were told not to but I’m in a nursery so could argue it’s still the field of education.

Fairly used to getting sneeze and spit in my mouth now, I’ve been there 10 years

My kids secondary school has had 2 infections since opening in September. I know way more people in the area who are paramedics, doctors, supermarket workers, firemen etc who have caught covid.
We are in wales and both my kids secondary and primary schools have put in place lots of measures to try and keep people safe. It seems to have worked so far.
If there is an issue in your school then I suggest you rally the rest of your staff and ask your senior team to revise thier covid arrangements.

What is rationale for teachers not being allowed masks?

Seems ridiculous.

And I think there should be significant punishments for students refusing to adhere to guidance.

That’s not true.

Which bit?

Our school emailed friday saying kids now have to wear masks so can only assume that applies to staff also.

From the DfE guidelines..
"On the basis of current evidence, in light of the mitigating measures education settings are taking, and the negative impact on communication, face coverings will not generally be necessary in the classroom even where social distancing is not possible. There is greater use of the system of controls for minimising risk, including through keeping in small and consistent groups or bubbles, and greater scope for physical distancing by staff within classrooms. Face coverings can have a negative impact on learning and teaching and so their use in the classroom should be avoided"

@banjaxxed

Surely it's essential service? Like police, police staff, supermarket staff?

I don't get this with teachers and teaching staff I really don't. I live in a tier 3 very high infection rate area and yet DS' school of 1000 pupils has had 20ish infections and about 40% of them are staff. In which case the staff probably got it from elsewhere or it would be rife in schools with infections in the hundreds like universities

You do understand that the difference between schools and universities is that they did mass testing in universities and uncovered hundreds of asymptomatic cases? That a positive case with symptoms in a young person is probably accompanied by many times more asymptomatic ones?

You cannot assume that staff caught it elsewhere when they could easily have caught it from asymptomatic kids - the reason for higher positives in the staff is that they are more likely to show symptoms.

What do you think would happen to case numbers in schools if they did mass testing?

Seems very emotive and binary, OP, and you seem to see NHS PPE as some nirvana. Are your COVID positive students expected to isolate? Try seeing COVID positive patients with no/expired PPE or being forced to don and doff in a car park with no privacy in the hot August or winter. Not complaining but the grass isn't always greener.

Sorry cross-posted Whynotme

@echt

What’s the incidence of infection and mortality rate for teachers?

So what? Do we wait for doctors to die before they wear masks?

We did wait for doctors to die before they got masks.

Towards the end of March my husband (clinically vulnerable) was called into a managers office and reprimanded for wearing a mask on the wards. He was told he was setting a bad example as a consultant and would scare people.

Why do we need to wait for teachers to die to protect them too? No other profession is being asked to take the same risk and I would completely support them striking to be able to make schools as safe as any other working environment.

What’s the incidence of infection and mortality rate for teachers?

Who knows, that data isn't being published.

Case numbers in schools only started being published the end of the week before half term when it couldn't be used to argue for a circuit breaker.

But you’re allowed visors? It’s an SLT problem.

In every school I’ve worked in there’s always someone.....

@Meowza74

Hang on, so are teachers not allowed to wear masks? What if they choose to?

Anyone who defied my previous headteacher was bullied out of their job. There are plenty more out there like him. For many teachers going against instructions isn't an option.

We have taught Covid positive students without masks or adequate ventilation, but because we are expected to be 2m away we are not considered a contact.
We KNOW that there are many asymptomatic cases in our lessons - bit we just carry on with no masks...

Seems very emotive and binary, OP, and you seem to see NHS PPE as some nirvana

From a teachers's perspective, it is. Are health workers told they shouldn't wear masks as it will impede communication?

Thought not.

Visors have been proven to be useless without accompanied with a mask.

I don’t understand the idea that other people working throughout lockdown all wear PPE? They don’t. DH worked throughout, several other members of my family worked throughout, lots of friends worked throughout ... (at work places not at home).. none wear PPE other than masks in communal areas.

Yes we are essential workers, but we are the only essential workers who are not permitted to wear masks..

No youre not. We can't wear masks at work. Nor can we social distance. Nor do we have windows that open. Ive been working throughout the pandemic & we have just had to get on with it.

From what I remember, people were horrified at conditions in the NHS and lack of PPE.

We put rainbows in windows, clapped and donated to NHS charities. People made masks and scrubs and those little hats for hospitals.

Teachers on the other hand get a daily boo on Mumsnet. Yay.

GAH, I'm out. I'll be teaching 250 students across the next week without anybody wearing masks, windows that don't open more than a crack, and Mosh pit corridors.
I'm vulnerable my FIL is terminally ill, and my mother has end stage COPD.
Yet I still go to work without the basic precautions every other workplace does.

none wear PPE other than masks in communal areas.

Why don't classrooms count as communal areas?

I wonder what would happen if all the school staff told to stop moaning or resign followed through with that and handed in their notice. Many areas already struggle with recruitment and retaining staff. I'm sure all the people moaning about how lazy teachers are would be up in arms if their school no longer had enough staff to open safely.

I hadn't realised just how hated my profession was until this year. Constantly accused of being lazy, selfish, overpaid. It's made me look at all of the parents of the children I adore and work so hard for, and wonder why I bother. Why do I go above and beyond, why do I feed the hungry kids out of my own pocket, buy resources that the school can't afford, fundraise for equipment to make our school a better place and offer the kids experiences they'd never have otherwise. I'm no longer going to do all that, it's not appreciated and if Mumsnet is to be believed the majority of those kids parents think so low of me it won't make a difference.

@Redglitter

Yes we are essential workers, but we are the only essential workers who are not permitted to wear masks..

No youre not. We can't wear masks at work. Nor can we social distance. Nor do we have windows that open. Ive been working throughout the pandemic & we have just had to get on with it.

What do you do that does not allow masks?