Jurisdiction

Are Teachers Essential Workers?

What Are the Isolation Rules?

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• receive a negative Rapid Antigen Test (RAT); and
• have no COVID-19 symptoms

Essential workers expanded to boost supply – The Canberra Times

• their work is considered essential at that time
• they continue to be asymptomatic
• they take a daily RAT for seven days.

• produce a negative test for COVID-19
• do not have symptoms of COVID-19
• take a RAT test every day for the seven day period and produce a negative result before attending work.

• the worker must undertake a daily RAT for five days and return a negative result prior to attending work each day
• the worker must always wear a face mask, except when eating or drinking, or for safety reasons, and a P2/N95 respirator is preferred
• the worker cannot enter shared break areas and the employer must try and facilitate solo break time. The employer must also take reasonable steps to deploy the worker in areas where transmission risk is lower
• if at any time the worker develops symptoms or tests positive on a RAT, the exemption no longer applies – they are a case, they must isolate for seven days, and must notify others including their employer.

State

Return-to-School Plan for Government Schools

Plan If There Are Insufficient Staff for Adequate Duty of Care

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• All students to be provided with two RATs per week for four weeks, but not required to use them or provide proof of a negative result before returning to campus.
• Masks will be mandatory for all teachers and high school students and recommended — but not required — for primary students in Year 3 and above.
• On campus learning resumed on January 31 for new students and February 1 for returning students.
• Entire classes will no longer be required to quarantine if a positive case is recorded among the cohort.

• Casual relief staff will be called in, but some classes could be combined. Some non-essential activities could be cancelled to reallocate staff to classes.
• Staff from the Education Directorate may be called in to supervise classes.
• Teachers will be focused on delivering face-to-face classes in Term 1.
• If students cannot attend school, there will be online resources for them to access at home.
• Schools may be forced to switch to remote learning if there is a shortage of staff or an outbreak in a specific cohort.

• Remote school staff will be provided with three rapid antigen tests (RATs) the week before they return to remote communities. They must take test 1 on their first day back and take another on day three and day six.
• Students or school staff members who test positive to coronavirus must isolate for seven days, as per the requirement for all Territorians.
• Schools will provide RATS to parents to give their children.
• Each school is required to have a COVID safety supervisor and a school response action plan, which covers procedures for managing a positive case on school grounds, as well as notifying families, carers and the school community.
• An indoor mask mandate remains in place for children and people aged 12 and older, meaning middle and senior school students must continue to wear face masks indoors while on campus. Children 8 years old and older are encouraged to wear masks.
• Air-conditioning units at all Territory government schools had been audited to ensure they provided adequate circulation.
• 500 portable air purifiers are being delivered to schools that do not have central air-conditioning systems, especially schools in remote areas.

• Schools will also have remote learning packs and online learning programs available for students who need to temporarily isolate, either because they have COVID-19 or their parent or carer wants to keep them at home.
• The Education Department has registered teachers on stand-by to fill in for staff when needed during the term.

• As part of the new measures, every student and teacher in NSW government and non-government schools received RAT test kits before school returned on 1 February.
• Twice a surveillance testing for primary and high school students, school staff and early childhood staff. Surveillance testing will be undertaken for the first four weeks of term, with two weeks of supply distributed before term starts.
• Mandatory mask wearing for all staff and high school students, with masks encouraged for children in primary schools.
• Limiting interaction between year groups.
• Limiting visitors to those providing essential curriculum and wellbeing support.
• COVID-safe settings in place for music, sport and excursions.
• Maximising natural and mechanical ventilation, with air purifiers dispatched to where they are needed.
• Contingency plans in place to manage any disruptions to the workforce.

• The NSW Department of Education has expressed that they have corporate staff from the Department, retired teachers and student teachers on standby if required for staff shortages.
• There are also home learning packages online for students and parents.
• Where face-to-face learning is not possible, learning from home options will be supported for short periods.

• Return to school has been delayed by two weeks.
• Schools will implement Covid Safe Measures including practising good hygiene, using the Check in Qld App, cleaning and ensuring good air flow in learning spaces.
• All staff and students over the age of 12 are required to wear masks. Students in year 3-6 will be provided with masks and encouraged to wear them.
• Visitors will be limited on school sites with the exemption for parents and carers.
• Suspension of school camps, excursions, assemblies and large gatherings.
• Students and staff receive priority access to RAT at Queensland Health testing clinics.
• If a staff member or student develops COVID-19 symptoms while at school they will be able to access free RATs from their school (Parents/carers will need to collect their child and administer the tests at home).
• A number of activities limited including external contractors unless work is critical, parent-teacher interviews, staff meetings and professional development.

• Individual schools will have plans in place to ensure the continuity of learning for all students and minimise disruption to students learning.
• There may be times when schools need to adjust their timetable, combine classes or bring in relief staff to manage an workforce challenges.
• There may be need to close schools on department or health advice.
• Learning@home contingency plans are in place to minimise disruption to student learning, this included learning packages for kindy and Prep to Year 12 with parent support materials.
• Consideration will be given to the nature and frequency of assessments and examinations should major disruptions to continuity of student learning occur, the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority will publish updates regarding this.

• ‘Classroom contact’ concept: If a positive case is detected when schools return teachers will be provided with seven RATs and will need to show a negative test result each morning and be symptom free.
• Students will be notified and parents will be asked to monitor the symptoms of their children. Children can return to class if they have no symptoms.
• There will be a staggered return to school, students of essential workers/ vulnerable people returned on 31 January.
• Reception, Year 1, Year 7, year 8 and Year 12 students returned on 2 February and the remainder of students will return on 14 February.
• Outdoor learning will be encouraged.

• Schools will provide a quality remote learning program for all students in Years 2 to 6 and Years 9 to 11. Students in other year levels will learn at school.
• Parents who are required to attend work and do not have appropriate supervision for their child can choose to send their child to school. Supervision will be provided for those students to complete the remote learning program.

• Continuing COVID safe behaviours such as physical distancing and staying home when unwell.
   
• All schools will have Outbreak Management Plans in place.
• Students will not be defined as close contacts in a classroom. Parents and carers will be notified if a positive case is detected in the classroom and asked to monitor for symptoms.
• Masks are mandatory for all secondary students in indoor settings. These will be supplied. Masks will be available for primary school students should they wish to wear one.
• Rapid Antigen Tests will be provided to both school staff and students to use if they are symptomatic
• Virtual Learning approaches to support students required to isolate.

• If your child needs to isolate at home, their learning will be supported online.
• No child will fall behind, and the core curriculum will be delivered at home.
• We are prepared for any learning at home periods, and our workforce planning will ensure all learners have access to a teacher
• Proactive strategies are in place to ensure that there are enough staff in schools.
• If needed, relief teachers, recently retired teachers or teachers on long service leave will be called on.

• Surveillance testing will be strongly recommended for all primary and secondary school students and staff, and early childhood education and care staff; twice weekly at home before school or childcare.
• Students and staff at specialist schools will be recommended to test five days each week due to the higher risk of severe illness for medically vulnerable children.
• School and early childhood staff will be added to the list of workers in key sectors who must receive a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by 25 February if they are already eligible, or within three months and two weeks of receiving a second dose to continue working in education settings.

• Schools will take a tiered approach to staff replacement:
• One:
  Schools internally replacing teachers with casual teaching staff.
• Two and three:
  Will involve schools combining some grades for a short period of time.
• Where there are difficulties in finding available staff, schools will be able to call upon a ‘Job Opportunity’ pool comprised of retired or inactive teachers and support staff as well as final-year university students.
• These staff will be deployed to local schools on a fixed-term basis and will hold a valid Working with Children Check or valid Victorian Institute of Teaching registration prior to the commencement of employment.
  

• Primary school children are not expected to wear masks, but they will have to do so once case numbers increase. Mask wearing would be introduced for primary school aged students from Year 3.
• Only teachers and secondary students in Perth, Peel and the South-west were expected to wear masks when the new school year commenced.
• Under the Education Department’s COVID-19 ventilation strategy, contractors have assessed 900 schools’ classroom windows and air-conditioning systems while students have been on holiday, identifying those that need air purifiers.
• Hand sanitiser and masks will be available as required.
• The state is still considering what role rapid antigen tests could play at schools

• 97.5 per cent of teachers had uploaded their vaccination status.
• A pool of 5000 fully vaccinated casual teachers, and around 450 non-school based but registered back-up teachers are ready to fill vacancies where required.
• Staff and regular visitors to public schools must be double-dose vaccinated and get a booster within a month of being eligible.
• Those parents who regularly volunteer – that is, coming to a school to do volunteer-type work more than once a week – will be required to show evidence of their vaccination status.
• Flying squads of cleaners are available to deep clean schools where required.
• Parts or all of West Australian public schools could close when a COVID-19 case is detected after students come back to classrooms.
• Close contacts of any student or teacher would have to test and quarantine but the settings will change as cases climb.