AIBU to ask parents who also believe ...

[alwaysraining123]

...we need to open schools ASAP, and ensure the government is true to their word that schools ARE the last thing to close and the first thing to open, to put your thoughts and experiences to those in power and those with influence (e.g by writing to your MP, government ministers, newspapers).

I appreciate not everyone will agree.

More of this UsForUs shite

Completely disagree with you OP, we are in the most dangerous part of the pandemic. Opening schools would be a stupid idea.

The government said last to close would be schools.... Right just going to pop down to the garden centre to buy a plant.

Tbf i do agree - and i think all the other posters actually do too...

Of course schools should be opened ASAP.
But it's not actually possible yet is it? Not without causing even worse death rates than we've already got. We know kids catch it, spread it and school staff and parents are therefore also likely to catch it (and spread onwards) if we reopen them fully now.

We'd be better off lobbying for masks, and increased ventilation in schools and a better plan than 'shove them back in and use up those slightly crap tests we've bulk ordered from our mates whilst pretending they'll keep rates down rather than immediately rocket back up'.

But i find it odd that you don't already seem aware of this - it's pretty commonly understood i thought?

No ..sorry one of our lovely nurses has a daughter aged 12 with Covid...we are now trying to cover her shifts for the next 10 days ..not easy!!

The right to an education is less important than saving lives.

Take a long hard look at some photos of your adult relatives. Which of them are you prepared to lose? Which one is the most dispensable? None of them?

But it's ok for other people's family members to die so your kids can go to school.

Honestly are you for real? Get your head out of the sand, we are in the worst situation we have ever been in, ever.

I've been isolating for a week due to a school colleague close contact. The number of us affected meant the school had to close - we're a special school so lower pupil numbers but a very high attendance percentage. SLT have now all tested positive so we will have to remain closed next week too. Two of the staff affected are very ill.

No @pollylocketpickedapocket thank goodness, but the numbers of staff having to take time off has meant that the schools' viability to remain open has been nullified.
It's been an absolute shitshow here... the virus has spread like wildfire, way above the National average.

It’s so hard I want them open ASAP but only when safe to do so, not rushed . My 14 year old was sent home 3 time to isolate for 2 weeks after being in contact with pos case . Having to then keep her separated from us in case she had it , that was getting her down she’s more settled now online . On the other hand I remember when younger how long the summer hols seemed to be be even thou it was lovely I couldn’t wait to get back and see friends now I watch my 11 year old each day and think how his world has been turned upside down and what must go through his head last March it was something new and school having to shut I’m sure was most kids dream ,but now as days turn into weeks and then months it makes me so sad never mind his education . He really enjoys school . He was very lucky not many cases in his school from September, unlike my daughters. For my daughters high school thou the transmission rate , r rate really needs to drop and hospitals come under less pressure.
ICU beds are so important not just for COVID patients but any other emergency’s . So if schools shut slows transmission to free them up , then that’s what we have to do unfortunately.

“The right to an education is less important than saving lives.”

Totally agree with this nothing is more important then saving life’s not even education and the situation we’re in at the moment , I wouldn’t want them in and really feel for staff who have to be in .

Happy for schools to stay closed until it's safe to go back.

Teachers and all staff in schools need to be way higher up the list for vaccinations.

DD is perfectly happy at home - as I'm sure a lot of other children are too. No, it's not ideal, but we're just getting on with it.

Oh dear, day 3 of homeschooling not going well then, OP? I'd love to think it would make you value teachers more but you clearly don't value their lives as human beings let alone their professional skills that you badly need them to be alive to use.

I bet you a million pounds the OP who cares so damn much about education isn't a teacher and didn't do a single thing to lobby their MP about making schools safer, and won't lobby them to vaccinate teachers either.

With the new variant now dominant, it probably won't be possible to keep the R0 number below one. That's unfortunately just how it almost certainly is. I have an only child, I'd like him to be in school as there is no doubt whatsoever that being so completely separated from other children is damaging for him. But there is also no doubt whatsoever that if he was in school, it would mean many thousands of lives would be put at risk. That's the sad reality, so we have to adapt and get on with it until it's safe for them to open again.

My MP is largely ignoring correspondence, so several people have alleged who have contacted them.

The point someone made about garden centres is one I agree with.

No, disagree. Sorry

Are the all dropping dead then?

Sadly some are, yes. But I do think putting it so harshly is inappropriate when over 80,000 families are grieving right now.

Out of 6 staff members who caught the virus only 2 have recovered enough to come back to work and one has severe lung damage. Death is not the only result of COVID.

And saying schools are "closed" is a misnomer. We are not closed we have reduced the number of people onsite for the safety of everyone. It's not what we wanted and has doubled everyone's workload.

@formerbabe

Whilst children don't generally suffer from Covid, teachers, TAs and other school staff may well suffer

I think now we have a vaccine, teachers and school staff need to be prioritized and vaccinated asap. I understand schools need to be shut right now but they need to be opened up soon...the damage this is doing to children is terrifying.

Totally agree - vaccinate all school/College staff asap and allow them to get back to work with the children which is what they want to do.

Nope.
Health comes before education.

"Are they all dropping dead then?"
The lack of empathy behind this post is quite staggering.
But, I'll bite. The reason the published figures for teacher deaths is seemingly quite low is because they use figures taken from the first lockdown, when schools were largely closed.
This is quite deliberate. The government knows that the figures are far worse than those, and chose to ignore teachers' pleas to fund safety mitigations in schools.
New figures finally due in a week or two, I believe.

No - and thank God, at last, there seems to be agreement even here on MN that schools cannot safely be open at the moment.

The abuse that some brave posters have had to suffer on here because they kept calmly explaining why schools were not safe has been shocking.

I agree op!

Vaccinate teachers ASAP and reopen our schools - they should be right behind health workers in terms of priority.

I am pretty sure the government will now do this, and happier still that our children will soon have their education back

"The abuse that some brave posters have had to suffer on here because they kept calmly explaining why schools were not safe has been shocking."

Absolutely! Hear, hear.

Totally agree - vaccinate all school/College staff asap and allow them to get back to work with the children which is what they want to do.
Another one, seemingly incapable of wording a post in terms of children being able to return to the school building. I will be "back to work with the children" from my house in around 15 minutes, is that ok with you?