Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I welcome this answer because I have been contacted by many parents about their concerns on this issue. Everybody wants to do the right thing and this is a nervous and anxious time. It is also a good time to see the schools reopening and for parents to see children return, which I welcome as a parent. There are concerns about trying to do the right thing by keeping children at home and not to introduce even more bugs, even if it is something mild that one would normally send children to school with. People were afraid that they might be penalised. There is the fear that one might get a letter. It is a scary prospect that Tusla might be contacted regarding one’s children. Can the Minister confirm that if children are out of school due to Covid-19, quarantine, or as a precaution, that there is a section for that to be explained and that this will not be an issue for parents?

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