Many ‘high risk’ teachers to be recalled to classrooms following vaccination

Many teachers deemed vulnerable, who were allowed to work remotely earlier this year, are set to be recalled to the classroom due to the protection offered by Covid-19 vaccines, according to education sources.

During the last academic year, more than 1,400 teachers were classified as “very high risk” due to conditions such as cancer, weak immune systems and kidney or liver disease, and were advised not to return to in-person teaching.

The vast majority of these teachers have since been vaccinated against the virus.

Following recent medical reviews, significant numbers are set to be reclassified as “high risk” over the coming days due to protection offered by vaccines, education sources say.

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Teachers who move from the “very high risk” to “high risk” category are required to return to teach in the classroom.

These Covid-19 risk assessments are carried out by an occupational healthcare company, Medmark, for the Department of Education.

Teachers' unions in Ireland, meanwhile, are calling on the department to allow unvaccinated pregnant teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) to be allowed to work from home until they are fully immunised.

However, senior sources said on Wednesday there is unlikely to be any change on the basis that the decision was made on the advice of specialists at the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

All Covid-19 safety measures to date have been taken on the basis of careful public health advice, the sources added.

Health guidelines

Unions estimate that up to 1,600 pregnant staff due back in the classroom are either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated, but these numbers will fall over the coming weeks.

Pregnant women are currently advised to take the Covid-19 vaccine between 14 and 36 weeks of their pregnancy.

Revised public health guidelines state that it is safe for most pregnant teachers to attend the workplace unless they have an underlying medical condition.

This is a change to guidelines introduced earlier this year, which permitted all pregnant teachers to work remotely due to concerns over links between the virus and stillbirths.

Many pregnant teachers say they are worried they will be exposed to the virus in crowded classrooms in the early weeks of their pregnancy when the school year resumes. Some say they are prepared to take sick leave or early maternity leave rather than return to the classroom.

However, the department said the revised guidelines, which were changed in mid-July, were based on advice from medical specialists and apply across the public service.

“Such advice is applied across the entire public service and relies upon the expertise of those qualified to recommend such protocols based on the most up to date information available to them at the time,” it said in a statement.

Separately, all schools are set to be issued with update guidance for the safe reopening of schools on Wednesday.

The Covid response plans, based on latest public health information, will state that new variants of the virus will not change the safety measures required.

As a result, schools will be required to continue operating last year’s infection prevention and control measures such as social distancing, hand hygiene and ventilation of classrooms. Funding will be provided to schools for these measures.

On ventilation, the letter states that all school classrooms will be supplied with carbon dioxide monitors, which the department says can play a part in providing a general indication of when rooms may not be adequately ventilated.

The monitors – at a cost of €4 million – will be distributed to schools in August and September.

School transport will continue to operate this year with additional hygiene measures and a reduced 50 per cent capacity at second level. The capacity limit will be subject to an ongoing review.

All schools will be required to complete return-to-work forms, while newly appointed staff must undergo training for Covid-19 safety measures.