Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) members will back the reopening of schools for specific cohorts of students this month.
On Wednesday evening, the union said members will support the return of special classes in secondary schools from February 22nd.
Members will also facilitate the return of Leaving Cert students in the same week, subject to public health advice.
The Irish Times reports that the TUI’s executive committee expressed its “strong position” that these students should return and benefit from face-to-face teaching.
TUI is one of two post-primary teachers’ unions in Ireland. The other union, the Association of Secondary Teachers’ Ireland (ASTI), has met this evening to discuss the issue but has yet to issue a formal direction to its members.
TUI president Martin Marjoram said the union engaged “intensively and positively” with all education stakeholders to work towards the safe re-opening of schools, making its decision after a number of concerns were addressed.
New measures
A range of additional supports and measures have been agreed to protect students and staff, Mr Marjoram said.
These include full contact tracing and fast-track testing, provision of high grade personal protective equipment (PPE) for special education teachers and arrangements for staff in high risk health categories and pregnant teachers to continue to provide remote learning.
“Clearly, all risk mitigation measures and safeguards will need to be strictly adhered to at school level,” he said.
“At national level, all measures must be kept under ongoing review, not least to take account of the emerging new variants of Covid-19. The health and safety of students, staff and their families cannot be compromised.”
Further suppression of the virus in society will be vital to maintaining the confidence of the school community, he said.
Phased reopening
It comes as senior education sources said earlier on Wednesday that primary and secondary schools are likely to reopen over a three-week period in March.
Special education schools will partially reopen from this Thursday, with 50 per cent student attendance.
This will be followed by the return of special classes in mainstream primary schools, due to return on February 22nd.
There has been indication that a phased reopening of mainstream class across primary and secondary schools will take place in advance of the Easter holidays, which start on March 26th.
