Vice President of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), Miriam Duggan, says it is 'inarguable' that newly-pregnant teachers should be able to teach remotely with the current threat of the Delta variant of Covid-19.
Teachers that are under 14 weeks pregnant currently cannot access Covid vaccines.
Many of that cohort are apprehensive to return to the classroom next week with unvaccinated pupils.
Speaking on Deise Today, Ms. Duggan said teachers should still have the option to work remotely, as nothing has changed for them.
"We're looking at this in the context of the highly transmissable delta variant, and our concern is for those in the early stages of pregnancy who can't be vaccinated. The facts are inarguable. They can't be vaccinated. They're going to go into a classroom with the delta variant, a highly transmissible variant, so we're calling upon the Minister to do the right thing. They need to allow these women the time to work remotely until such time that they can access the vaccination programme."
All members of the ASTI want schools to open, but they want the safety of all people, staff and students alike, to be the prerogative.
"All of our members wish that the schools will open, but that they'll open safely for all school attenders and that they will remain open. We're dealing with a specific cohort of people who are at a very vulnerable time. They're newly-preganant, they cannot be vaccinated. Before the summer, the way things worked was that the Department's best advice was for them to work remotely. For these women. if they're in that situation of being newly-pregnant, under 14 weeks, nothing for them has changed."
Miriam says that what should be a joyful time for the teachers affected, has become a nightmare.
"From my perspective and our members perspective, the facts are inarguable. We're asking the Minister to look at this again and we're in talks with the Department of Education for that. Hopefully, there will be a successful outcome. If you stop and you think about it, some of these women have had miscarriages, they're at a vulnerable stage in their pregnancy. A time that should be joyful, and a time that should be full of anticipation, is actually becoming a little nightmarish for them with this."
