Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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457. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to support very high risk and high-risk staff with medical vulnerabilities who are anxious regarding the reopening of schools. [11604/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The general principles to apply to the management of Covid-19 includes the safety and welfare of teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) and the minimisation of the impact of Covid-19 on teaching and learning. The current Covid-19 arrangements in place for teachers and SNAs are outlined in my Department’s Circular Letter 0049/2020.

My Department has an enhanced Occupational Health Service (OHS) in place, to provide employers with occupational health advice in relation to teacher/SNAs’ fitness for work. The current OHS provider has a process in place for school staff with health concerns about their risk of serious illness from contracting Covid-19, through workplace attendance.

A detailed on-line questionnaire is submitted by the teacher/SNA to the OHS, along with detailed medical evidence to provide clarity with respect to the medical complaint(s) in question. All of this information is reviewed by the OHS specialist occupational health physician, including the combined and cumulative risk that can arise when a teacher/SNA suffers from more than one health condition. The risk categorisation is comprehensive and follows the same process that is being applied across other sectors. A teacher/SNA is categorised into one of three Covid-19 risk categories. These are ‘Normal Risk’, High Risk’, and ‘Very High Risk’. The outcome of the risk categorisation is governed by the HSE guidance. My Department is following the same guidance that is in use across the public sector.

Where a teacher/SNA considers the OHS "Covid-19 Health Risk Categorisation report" places him/her in an incorrect risk category, he/she may request review. The teacher/SNA may provide additional medical evidence as part of the review process.

Based on HSE advice, a teacher/SNA categorised by the OHS as ‘Very High Risk’ must not attend the workplace. However he/she remains available for work and the employer should prioritise alternative working arrangements to the maximum extent possible e.g. working from home.

The employer has a responsibility to assess the school environment using the Covid-19 Response Plan for the school, to ensure that all the appropriate HSE recommendations for safe school operations during Covid-19 are being implemented in full.

During the current period of partial re-opening of schools, an employer should temporarily facilitate more flexible working arrangements where a teacher/SNA has been categorised by the OHS as ‘High Risk’. A teacher/SNA who is over 60 years of age should also be temporarily facilitated by these arrangements. This may include re-assignment of a teacher/SNA to other duties within the school or facilitated to work remotely i.e. working from home.

The HSE has recently published guidance for the education sector in respect of pregnant employees. Upon the full re-opening of schools, this HSE guidance will be implemented in the education sector. The Department will provide employers with details of these new arrangements in advance of a full re-opening of schools. In the meantime, during this period of partial re-opening of schools, a pregnant teacher/SNA should consider themselves in the ‘High Risk’ category and she should temporarily continue to work remotely i.e. working from home.

These temporary arrangements for teachers and SNAs are outlined in my Department’s Information Note 0005/2021 for primary teachers, Information Note 0006/2021 for primary SNAs, Information Note 0007/2021 for post primary teachers and Information Note 0008/2021 for post primary SNAs.