Do Schools need to inform parents if a teacher has Coronavirus?

[Ahmawa]

A teacher has been off for a few days but the School seem to not even provide an update, they have just brought in a supply teacher.

Do parents have a right to ask if the teacher may have coronavirus or due to privacy concerns we cannot ask?

No the teacher's medical information is private.

No of course they don't.

Some teachers are happy for that information to be shared, especially if primary school.

They should tell you that there has been a positive case in your child's class, but they absolutely don't need to tell you who that is.

No it would be a huge breach of trust to do that and completely out of order.

@Heckythump1

They should tell you that there has been a positive case in your child's class, but they absolutely don't need to tell you who that is.

I don't believe they need to do that in England anymore. The first you'll hear is a warn and inform letter if cases are high enough that the LA deems it necessary.

Ours tells us if there is a chance our child has been exposed ie a case within DS's classroom setting but won't specify who it was.

You have absolutely no right to know anything about the teachers medical issues, past or present.

No DD class teacher is off and a large number in year six but we haven’t been told by the school.

No

Why do you need to know?

@Heckythump1

They should tell you that there has been a positive case in your child's class, but they absolutely don't need to tell you who that is.

Is that the case? We have 8 cases in my DC class (found out as we all know each other) and the teacher is off. Not a peep from the school.

Why would you expect an "update"? They may not even be off ill for all you know....

I THINK Test and Trace have taken over notifying. So schools don't have to tell you anything. If you need to know, you'll be contacted by T&T.

No, of course you haven’t got a right to know anything about a teacher’s medical information. She might have covid, chickenpox, be pregnant, have cancer etc etc.

I have 2 colleagues teaching at the moment who both have the rest of their household home sick with covid-parents still aren’t told that either.

I only assumed they should tell you of positive case in the class as our school have - class teacher is off and half the class have since tested positive.
We were told the teacher was positive the first day they were off and were asked to do daily LFT on all children in the class - good job too as most of those who have since tested positive are asymptomatic!

@KatherineofGaunt

I THINK Test and Trace have taken over notifying. So schools don't have to tell you anything. If you need to know, you'll be contacted by T&T.

Been over a week since first positive case in m DD class, not heard a dicky bird from Test and Trace and school specifically said not to wait to hear from T&T to test.

You have no right to know. Also, don't assume. They could be off for any reason.

No they don't.

You should be informed a member of the school community is positive, and whether your dc may be a close contact, but it is not for parents to know the identity of the positive person or details of a teacher absence.

Nope, they don’t give a fuck if you sit next to someone with covid or not, they want everyone to have it quicker. Teachers also aren’t allowed to know if their contacts are kids or teachers etc.

I would leave it to the school / teacher to pass on what they see fit. Covid or otherwise.

You're lucky then Hecky. I'm immunosuppressed and have dc in 2 different schools. Despite me asking both schools to notify me of positive tests in the classes, neither is doing so. I'm entirely reliant on the goodwill of other parents or for my oldest, what the school rumour mill throws up. Fortunately she's now double vaccinated but my primary age dc obviously isn't.

To be clear, I didn't ask to know who had the result, just that there was one.

No, you don’t have the right to know the teachers medical information. They may have COVID, They might be ill with something else or their absence could be something completely different, like a family bereavement. The school know what the absence is for and have provided an alternative supply teacher. It’s non of your business.

@Maryann1975

No, you don’t have the right to know the teachers medical information. They may have COVID, They might be ill with something else or their absence could be something completely different, like a family bereavement. The school know what the absence is for and have provided an alternative supply teacher. It’s non of your business.

It's not about that, is it? It's about being told, or not, that your child has been in contact with a positive case.

@MythicalBiologicalFennel no it's not. The OP is assuming the teacher has covid because she hasn't been in but there could be a number of reasons why she's off and it's private.

It's not about that, is it? It's about being told, or not, that your child has been in contact with a positive case

The government have decided there are no close contacts in school though, because schools are safe. It’s not like people spending lots of time together at close range, like at a sleepover. That would be a close contact, apparently.