Coronovirus IS transmitted in schools

[mosquitofeast]

And lots of teachers have died

I am just clarifying this, as I don't know how many times I have read on Mumsnet that this has never happened. I don't know where this misinformation is coming from, but its rubbish

It was transmitted several hundred times in my school (secondary)before lock down. Hundreds of children and dozens of staff were affected. Some have been seriously ill and have been left with long term health problems, such as low lung capacity and loss of hearing.

I am a teacher and I was infected at school. I did not use public transport, or go into any shops or other businesses for the whole of March, and I was living alone. The only time I was in any contact with anyone else was in school

A school near us (also secondary) had to close a week before school closures were announced, as so many teachers were infected.

Thankfully, no staff or student in our school died, although several students have lost parents, and many have lost grandparents. One of my sixthformers has withdrawn her university application as her mum has lost a lung and a leg and now can't run her home and care for her younger children on her own.

However, according to the union, around 200 school staff have dies to date, so we have just been lucky so far.

So please don't repost this fake news that "no one has ever caught covid in a school" - because |I have watched it happen in front of my eyes, and experienced it myself.

[Lianarose]

I’m happy to say it OP. I care more about kids’ mental health, parents’ mental health, children experiencing abuse and DV, the wider hit to the economy than I do about the vanishingly small risks to teachers yes. I think kids being back at school should be prioritised, yes. Happy to say it because I don’t believe you can live in a risk free world and I believe children’s well-being should be a priority. I’d be happy to go into school to volunteer but I’ve been a bit busy trying to home school and hold down a full time job.

I don’t know about kids with t1 diabetes. Do you have stats to show they are at risk of dying? Because I believe the figure quoted above was 6 children under 14 have died with Covid?

[sonicbook]

Who is saying teachers are not allowed to wear PPE ?

No you're right they are. If you know anything about how masks work, however, then one teacher wearing a mask in a room with 30 other people is like pissing in the wind.

Everyone has to wear them or it's not effective. Obviously that isn't going to happen so no PPE.

[Lianarose]

@sonicbook I’m amazed more people aren’t angry at what’s happened to our children these last few months tbh. You’re right I’m very angry. I’m sorry for anyone who is afraid of course I am, but I think the risks are being blown way out of proportion.

[sonicbook]

@Lianarose happy for teachers to die because she can't be arsed home schooling. Good one.

Teachers will die through this unless they keep the infections under control. It's absolutely staggering that they are not being afforded simple safety measures such as mandatory PPE and reduced contact that we see in other public facing professions / jobs.

[walksen]

No but I'd like kids to wear masks in corridors at least and some proactive testing and some thought and maybe some money from government to make school opening sustainable. How are you going to work if bubbles burst or school closes to some years due to lack of staff

You say parents care but all I see is on these forums is well your workplace may not be safe but we've got to work so ....meh.

[Lianarose]

I’m happy for my kids to wear masks if it gets them back to the classroom by the way and happy to write to my MP to say so. I don’t think it will be pleasant for them but I’d go along with it.

[sonicbook]

Children have missed a few months of school. That can be turned around. Being dead can't be turned around. Being chronically ill can't be turned around.

Let's see the impact on children when we are back at school and constantly in and out of local lockdown, schools shutting and opening because of staff illness and infection rates rising dim the community.

[Lianarose]

[quote sonicbook]@Lianarose happy for teachers to die because she can't be arsed home schooling. Good one.

Teachers will die through this unless they keep the infections under control. It's absolutely staggering that they are not being afforded simple safety measures such as mandatory PPE and reduced contact that we see in other public facing professions / jobs. [/quote]
Nope not can’t be carded just can’t do it. I work full time and I’m a lone parent as it happens so it’s a bit tricky. Even if I were a SAHP I believe kids need to actually see their friends and be part of a school community. I believe they need teaching by qualified teachers not a parent who had no idea what they’re doing.

[Helloitsmemargaret]

Was anyone tested at your school op? I'd be inclined to contact the original author of the recent study. They're actively looking for cases of school transmission to understand the spread and with 100s of kids affected so this sounds like a very good opportunity to understand how transmission works in the young.

[Lianarose]

Obvs I’m not happy for teachers to die I just don’t think the stats show they will and that this whole thread is scaremongering 🤷‍♀️

[sonicbook]

If infection rates rise the way we say before lockdown the school system will collapse in a matter of weeks.

Teachers will vote with their feet and protect themselves. I'm not saying that's right but that's what happen. Teachers are furious that their safety is being completely disregarded.

If I work in a garage I have. A mask, a plastic screen, everyone entering must also wear a mask and there is a limit to the number of people allowed in (3 in my local one). These people must social distance.

If I am a teacher I can wear a mask 'if I want' even though it's pointless without everyone doing it and I'm expected to take 6 different classes of 30 kids each day in a tiny classroom with one tiny window where social distancing is absolutely impossible?

Seems fair.

[Bananabread8]

@walksen it’s becoming dog eat dog here. You have to be willing to see it from parents view too. I don’t know why probably a teacher is saying “you can’t be arsed to teach your child” FFS why should they. Parents will be having a nervous breakdown at this rate.... let’s not casually forget these last “few months” mean while people will be loosing jobs come October.

Other than funding I would like to know from the teachers... why isn’t PPE allowed is there any other reasons it’s being declined? What are your unions take on this.

[SickOfNorthernExile]

@WombOfOnesOwn

You need to deduct over 65s/care home residents and under 18s from that figure for a true picture.
Workforce deaths/representation are a more accurate measure here.

[sonicbook]

Obvs I’m not happy for teachers to die I just don’t think the stats show they will and that this whole thread is scaremongering 🤷‍♀️

Unless the infection rate is kept under control then of course some teachers will die. Same as with any other section of society who get infected. We're not magically exempt and a good chunk of us are nearing retirement, or have health issues or whatever.

Difference is for all other professions there are safety measure in place. I don't see why people don't realise that's the issue here.

[frumpety]

I would be happy for my child to wear a mask in school , he already thinks he will have to and I haven't told him otherwise just in case.

I appreciate how many teachers feel about returning to full classrooms of children, and it does feel like the Government plan is more of a 'lets see how it all pans out ' than anything else.

If you had your way, what would you be suggesting to make opening schools safer for everyone ?

[sonicbook]

PPE isn't being forced because the parental pressure groups are insistent that it would be unfair on the children to have to wear it.

This was a big stipulation of us for them or whatever they're called.

But rather than admit this they are kidding on that 16 and 17 year olds can't spread it.

[Throughabushbackwards]

OP I'm also disturbed by these reports that it can't be spread in schools. I'm a teacher in an independent secondary - we had a cluster of cases centred around a pupil who had been skiing in Italy in February half term, despite the fact that he isolated for 7 days on return (7 rather than 14 days was the official advice at the time). I was one of those who became ill and there are many other members or staff and parents who were sick. I know of one pupil's father who passed away.

Our school closed a full week prior to the general lockdown because of the outbreak, which they had been trying to manage by tracking and isolating individual cases within the cluster. It was impossible in the end because so many were sick, and, we had an excellent online learning platform all ready to go so it was an obvious choice.

I can't say I blame people for believing that schools are safe, though. It's what the government and media and scientists seem to be saying to us every day - but it's simply not true.

[motherrunner]

@allthingsred

These are scary times op. But at some point we have to get a new normal & that is opening schools.
Unless the government are going to ensure every home had excellent WiFi every child has a home learning device & every teacher is still giving live lessons I don't see how schools can stay shut.
My children cannot go on as they were before lock down.
With their teachers just giving them BBC bitesize links & telling them to watch news round once a week.
I was appalled on their behalf at the so called 'teaching' that was happening.
I also don't see why teachers are the only ones that should get to stay at home unless your saying that they should be more protected than any other key worker?

@allthingsred No, I don’t not want to be protected MORE than other workers.

I want to be protected the SAME as other workers.

[HairyToity]

I know two family's who got Coronavirus from their child's secondary school.
Thankfully they are all OK now.

[Hercwasonaroll]

Who is saying teachers are not allowed to wear PPE ?

The government guidelines.

Of course it can spread in schools. No one is denying that

Gav Williamson is.

[sonicbook]

If you had your way, what would you be suggesting to make opening schools safer for everyone ?

Schools can't open to all pupils safely. It's that simple.

Mandatory PPE and part time for pupils so class sizes could be kept around 12 would be the safest option but that's never going to happen because it's too disruptive for the kids and the parents (understandably).

[Hearhoovesthinkzebras]

@WombOfOnesOwn

200 teachers sounds like a lot!

But it isn't. In fact, teachers have been quite shielded.

Of course, there are 500,000 teachers in the UK, a nation of 60 million people. That means eight-tenths of a percent of the UK population is teachers.

In the UK so far, 45,000 people have died of COVID complications.

Eight-tenths of one percent of this figure would be about 400.

Teachers have died at HALF the rate of the UK population in general. Do you expect teachers should simply be regarded as golden, irreplaceable heroes that must be put on a pedestal and never regarded in the same way as the rest of the population?

It's WILDLY ridiculous for teachers to whine that they're somehow being imposed upon when a quick look at the numbers reveals they're in no way being more impacted than anyone else.

And teachers have not been working under their normal conditions, the majority of students haven't been at school and those that have were living under lockdown so no socialising, going out to public places etc. The data is so far skewed that I don't know how any scientist can actually draw any conclusions.

I do hope that all of the advocates for teachers going back to schools with no protective measures in place are doing the same in their workplaces too.

[sonicbook]

I do hope that all of the advocates for teachers going back to schools with no protective measures in place are doing the same in their workplaces too.

Excellent point! Anyone?

[Bananabread8]

@sonicbook

PPE isn't being forced because the parental pressure groups are insistent that it would be unfair on the children to have to wear it.

This was a big stipulation of us for them or whatever they're called.

But rather than admit this they are kidding on that 16 and 17 year olds can't spread it.

Genuine question. Is this the real reason here? Or are people higher up in power than parents happy to let you believe that?
Because there must be some other issues regarding the lack of PPE here even if what your saying is partly true.

Parents are at their wits end I suspect if we had to either send the kids with masks or homeschool my bet would be masks. Well that’s for high school children.

I do feel differently about primary kids wearing masks I feel that the teacher would then be responsible for all the kids wearing masksif anything tragic was to happened who would get the blame?

Other work places (Adults) you are accountable unlike a primary school children.

[Throughabushbackwards]

Oh, and to the posters who say "was anyone even tested" there were no tests available in March to people who were mildly ill and at home but the boy at my school who mad been to Italy, the father who died and a number of staff who became seriously ill all tested positive. My GP says that even though I wasn't tested it was obvious from my symptoms that I had Covid.