Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 December 2020
408. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education the number of schools which have been forced to open against the wishes of the boards of management and principals due to high positivity rates for Covid-19 since the reopening of schools earlier in 2020.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44551/20]
View answerWhen a covid-19 positive case connected with a school arises, public health contact the school and undertake a public health risk assessment to identify the actions required. The response to confirmed cases or outbreaks of Covid-19 in a school will be led and managed by Public Health HSE. Schools are advised to follow the recommendations of the public health specialists in these circumstances.
This practice ensures that no principal or board of management is burdened with the responsibility of making public health decisions in relation to their school. The public health response to schools this term has been enhanced by the HSE through the increased resourcing of existing School Teams in each HSE area. A dedicated phone number 'HSE live Covid-19 Principal school line is provided by the HSE for school principals to ring in circumstances where they need assistance from Public Health in relation to a confirmed case of Covid-19 within their school community.
The Department of Education will also provide support to the school if they have concerns or are unsure of what course of action to take. My Department engages with schools to provide support when dealing with Covid-19 on a daily basis. In this context my Department is only aware of three schools who sought not to follow public health advice in response to a Covid-19 case.
It should be noted that to date there the public health evidence shows that schools are safe places and that the risk of Covid-19 has been managed very well within the school environment.
