With the Government now saying that primary schools will be open by the 1st June and children should be sent back to school, (interpreted as get rid of your children so you can go back to work), many parents are being forced to consider putting their children at risk and as a consequence family members of catching the dreaded coronavirus.
We would like to hear from you whether you think the Government is right to enforce parents to send their children back to school in the height of a pandemic. The Government is stressing that the contamination rate in young children is lower than adults and that the new COVID-19 guidelines for primary schools is enough to safeguard the children. These new measures include:
- Class sizes of no more than 15 pupils
- Primary schools could begin reopening from 1 June
- Staggered break and lunch times, and different times for starting and finishing the school day.
The Government is also advising that the children and teachers should NOT wear masks.
Parents Revolt
However some parents are not happy with being forced to send out their children to face an increased risk of catching COVID-19 and would rather wait till the infection rate “R” has reduced significantly. One woman, Lucy Brown, has set up a petition on Change.org to give parents the right to choose if they want to put their children at risk. (Click here to view or sign the petition). So far there have been 475,000 parents that have signed the petition. When asked about the petition Lucy said: “As a mum, I don’t want to face serious repercussions for making a choice I feel affects the safety of my daughter during a global pandemic.”
Timetable is Reckless – National Education Union
It isn’t just parents that are up in arms about the Government’s decision to send kids back to school. Mary Bousted, co-leader of the biggest teachers’ union, the National Education Union stated “This timetable is reckless. This timetable is simply not safe.”
So who should have the overall power to decide on our children’s safety – is it the Government or the parents? Should parents be fined for not sending their kids to school? With such a stark reality of risk of infection to children should the Government put in place a “Parents Right To Decide” during this pandemic allowing parents to choose whether to send their children to school or not. We already know that some geographical areas of the UK are more COVID-19 prevalent than others, so will the decision to send kids back to school be area specific or right across the board putting some families at more risk than others.
What do you think?
Add your comments below to let us know what your views are…
