Some 870 teachers at ‘high risk’ of Covid-19 not permitted to work from home

More than 900 teachers who are highly vulnerable to Covid-19 have been permitted to work from home following risk assessments, Minister for Education Norma Foley has said.

However a further 870 “high-risk” have been told they are not sick enough to stay at home.

Ms Foley said 1,785 teachers, special needs assistants (SNAs) and other support staff applied for a Covid-19 risk assessment, which are carried out by occupational healthcare company Medmark, for Department of Education.

A total of 913 were categorised as very high risk, while 802 were classified as high risk and 70 were categorised as normal risk.

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Those who are very high risk are given an exemption from working at school and are available for remote work.

Ms Foley told Sinn Féin education spokesman Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire that 327 people applied for a review and 16 per cent were recategorised.

During Dáil education questions Mr Ó Laoghaire said the “very high-risk category is extreme and specific and obviously there are particular provisions for that category”.

But he expressed concern about the review process and said “the high-risk category seems to take in everything from mild asthma to leukaemia”.

Mr Ó Laoghaire noted that deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said of the review process that there had to be an "individual approach".

Mr Ó Laoghaire said “a uniform approach will not work. Everyone’s public health considerations are different.”

Mr Foley said however that the risk-review process “is being employed across the public sector. We are no different within the education field. The classification has been applied to those who are on the front line, including nurses and doctors.”

Mr Ó Laoghaire said children and staff who have high-risk parents at home and cannot attend school as a result are being ignored.

“These parents have been asking for guidance for months,” he said and it was causing great anxiety.

“Some schools have acted of their own volition to put in place remote learning for these children but the department continues to refrain from acting or giving guidance in writing.”

The Minister told him that the department had developed and prepared a “comprehensive response to support the well-being of school communities”.

She added that National Educational Psychological Service “is working with schools to support them to meet the needs of their pupils, especially pupils who are anxious at this time”.