Plan to bring back retired teachers to combat COVID crisis ‘too dangerous’

Mathematician Terry Moriarty loved teaching so much that he worked for nearly a decade as a casual and temporary teacher in public high schools in Sydney’s west after he retired.

Not now,though. COVID-19 has made it too risky for the former head teacher to return to the classroom. “At the moment I don’t want to do it,it is too dangerous,” said Mr Moriarty,73 of Greystanes.

As much as he misses the kids and the collegiality of teaching at public schools in Sydney’s south-west,the former maths teacher said he won’t be joining the army of retired teachers,principals and others that the NSW government wants to deploy to address staffing shortages when school returns.

Terry Moriarty is a retired head maths teacher from public schools in Sydney. If it wasn’t for fear of COVID,he would go back to teach in schools if they had a desperate need. “At the moment it seems too risky to me,” he said.

Terry Moriarty is a retired head maths teacher from public schools in Sydney. If it wasn’t for fear of COVID,he would go back to teach in schools if they had a desperate need. “At the moment it seems too risky to me,” he said.Edwina Pickles

Premier Dominic Perrottet announced in News Corp on Sunday a plan to use retired teachers and principals,and fast track final-year students and administration staff through accreditation,to give schools a “buffer” to fill COVID-related staff shortages.

“The significant impact on educational outcomes,on mental health is severe if we do not get kids back into the classroom. And we need to start 2022 in terms of the school year,and make it as normal as possible,” Mr Perrottet said.

Dr Geoff Newcombe,the executive director of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW (AIS NSW),said on Sunday the sector would accept the proposal given the “extraordinary times”.

“None of us is aware how significant absenteeism will be,” he said. “If we are going to keep schools open we have a duty of care to have teachers and responsible adults in front of kids.”

But retired public school principal Helen Cassidy,who worked for more than 11 years after retiring,described the proposals as “absolutely terrible”.

As someone in a vulnerable age group,the former principal of Pendle Hill Public School won’t be returning. “In primary school,kids aren’t vaccinated,they don’t wear masks,and they are jam packed in a little room,and you can’t distance. Then we have problems with ventilation,” she said.

Alexandra Martiniuk,an epidemiologist at the University of Sydney,said bringing back retired staff like Mrs Cassidy,who is 71,would put them at greater risk. That was heightened by the government’s decision to exempt teachers who are close contacts from isolation requirements.

Under the government’s policy,teachers will be allowed to continue to work if they return a negative rapid antigen test and have no symptoms. Professor Martiniuk said COVID-19 cases are highly infectious two days before they would return a positive RAT test or start showing symptoms.

“From a public health standpoint,[the new policy] is not a good idea,” she said.

As for fast tracking accreditation of trainee teachers and administrative staff,Mrs Cassidy said it was a “slap in the face for all the teachers who do the work they do”.

And Mr Moriarty feared it would result in trainees who had no or little classroom experience being accredited,but he said it would be helpful to accelerate the processing of paperwork.

Mrs Cassidy said NSW and federal governments were taking an “industrial revolution” approach by focusing on getting children back to school,so parents could go to work. Last week,the federal government included teachers as exempt from close contact rules if they were asymptomatic.

“I feel strongly that teachers aren’t babysitters,it is a great byproduct[of education] that they can go to work,but if that’s driving educational policy and practice,that’s not on,” she said.

Many former teachers said those who could work casually or part-time had already gone back to work in the past two years to fill shortages.

The president of the NSW Teachers Federation Angelo Gavrielatos said the “cupboard is bare’.

“There were already 2000 vacant permanent positions in November - double the number in June,” he said.

Mr Gavrielatos said 90 per cent of principals and teachers say their school already has trouble finding casuals:“As a result children were stuck in merged classes or left with minimal supervision.”

The union representing the private sector agrees. Pam Smith,the acting secretary of the Independent Education Union (IEU),said it was important the standard of the profession be upheld.

“Everyone wants a safe return,but this is an ad hoc,reactive response,” she said.

“Instead of fast tracking accreditation,let’s fast track vaccination,let’s fast track access to testing.”

The union said national cabinet’s decision to exempt teachers from isolating as close contacts was “an abject failure of public policy”.

“What they are talking about is schools opening at any cost to make sure parents can work,and that’s admirable. We all want the economy to function. But we also want students to be able to return for teaching and learning to occur for student wellbeing,” Ms Smith said.

Tina Ruello,a teacher in a Catholic school who is also with the IEU,said to exempt teachers from COVID-19 protocols was putting teachers and their families in the frontlines as cannon fodder”.

“As a teacher I cannot,in all conscience,walk into a classroom as a known close contact and say,‘Hey kids,the rule doesn’t apply to me – but it does to you. Have a nice day!’”

Dr Newcombe stressed the fast tracking only applied to people who had trained as teachers. “We are not going to accredit teachers who aren’t qualified,” he said.

He said a meeting of principals on Monday would conduct a risk assessment of a range of issues,from the availability and use of rapid tests to mask wearing,staff shortages and sport.

Beth Blackwood,the chief executive of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia,said speeding up accreditation,except police and working with children checks,would be welcome.

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Julie Power is a senior reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.

Pallavi Singhal is a data journalist with the Visual Stories Team at The Age,The Sydney Morning Herald,Brisbane Times and WAtoday

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