Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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970. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if unvaccinated pregnant teachers and SNAs will be required to attend classrooms when schools reopen; the risk assessment undertaken for same; the steps she is taking to ensure their safety; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39787/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The current COVID-19 arrangements in place for teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are outlined in my Department’s Circular Letter 0021/2021. The Circular caters for special leave with pay arrangements where a teacher/SNA has been advised to self-isolate and cannot attend the workplace. It also caters for the working arrangements where a teacher/SNA has been advised by the HSE to restrict their movements or where the teacher/SNA has been categorised by the Occupational Health Service (OHS) as at a very high risk of serious illness from contracting COVID-19. In both these cases, the teacher/SNA remains available for work and must be facilitated by the employer to work remotely i.e. work from home. Upon the reopening of schools in March 2021, a pregnant teacher/SNA was advised by my Department to work remotely, pending further clarification from the HSE.

On the 12^thJuly 2021, the HSE published ‘’. Based on this HSE Guidance my Department’s Information Note TC 0025/2021 published on 15^thJuly sets out the working arrangements for the ‘Very High Risk’ and also the pregnant teachers/SNAs for the 2021/22 school year which states:

2.1A pregnant employee who has any of the medical conditions as listed on the HSE website under ‘Very high risk groups (extremely vulnerable)’ should follow the process as detailed at paragraph 4.1 of Circular 0021/2021, with regard to a COVID-19 Health Risk Categorisation assessment.

2.2Based on the HSE Guidance for the education sector, a pregnant employee up to 14 weeks gestation, who is medically fit for work can safely attend the workplace, unless they are categorised by the OHS as ‘Very High Risk’ due to an underlying medical condition unrelated to their pregnancy.

2.3The recent HSE Guidance for the education sector advises that all pregnant employees should submit a COVID-19 Risk Assessment Questionnaire to the OHS before the end of their first trimester. The process as detailed at paragraph 4.1 of Circular 0021/2021 should be followed.

2.4Based on the HSE Guidance, the OHS will take account of whether the pregnant employee has ‘significant vaccine protection’ at the time of the OHS assessment.

2.5From 14 weeks gestation, a pregnant employee who:

(a)Does not yet have ‘significant vaccine protection’ and has no underlying medical condition, will be categorised by the OHS as ‘High Risk’ and must attend the workplace, following a workplace pregnancy risk assessment, if she is medically fit for work.

(b)Does not yet have ‘significant vaccine protection’, and has an underlying medical condition, she will be categorised by the OHS as either ‘High Risk’ or ‘Very High Risk’, based on most up to date HSE advice for higher risk groups. Where the employee is categorised by the OHS as ‘High Risk’ she must attend the workplace, following a workplace pregnancy risk assessment, if she is medically fit for work. Where she is categorised by the OHS as ‘Very High Risk’, she remains available for work and the employer must facilitate alternative working arrangements i.e. work from home.

The Government’s Work Safely Protocol published on 14th May, 2021 is a revision of the Return to Work Safely Protocol to reflect the Government’s Plan for Living with COVID-19. The revised Protocol incorporates the current advice on the Public Health measures and sets out the measures required in the workplace to prevent the spread of COVID-19, to facilitate the re-opening of workplaces following temporary closures and the ongoing safe operation of those workplaces. Employers must ensure that all work premises have implemented robust pre-return to workplace procedures and that all procedures comply with the Work Safely Protocol.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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971. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if medically vulnerable schoolchildren will be supported to undertake remote learning when schools reopen; if medically vulnerable teachers could become virtual learning facilitators for these children and in this way accommodate the needs of both vulnerable children and teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39788/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Schools have put significant measures in place to reduce the risk of coronavirus being transmitted to/within the school and significant funding has been provided to support schools in this respect. The evidence to date from a public health perspective is that schools are low risk environments. The approach to Covid-19 in schools is led by the advice and guidance of the HSE Public Health.

The HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has issued specific advice about children attending school in the context of Covid-19. This advice covers both children with underlying medical conditions and children living with family members with underlying conditions. For all children, care should continue to be taken to reduce transmission through the measures promoted by HPSC.

The HPSC advice advises that children with immediate family members, including parents, in both the ‘high risk’ and ‘very high risk’ categories can return to school and it is important for the child’s overall well-being. This is consistent with public health advice internationally in relation to at-risk family members. The priority is that the household continues to follow all current advice on how to minimise the risk of coronavirus, through regular hand washing, etc.

My Department has also published guidance to support schools in making adapted education provision for students with an underlying medical condition who cannot return to school because they are medically certified as being at very high risk to COVID-19.

It is planned that all schools will return fully at the end of August/early September in line with their normal planned reopening times. Schools have been advised that they should continue to operate with the current infection prevention and control measures in place to support their safe operation during COVID-19 when they reopen in the new term. Schools will continue to be supported in terms of the additional resources necessary to provide for these measures.

The Department will also undertake a communications campaign with parents and students/pupils in advance of school reopening to inform and remind them of the arrangements in place in schools operating during Covid-19. This will include specifically targeted information at new pupils/students entering primary and post-primary schools to ensure they are familiar with the new arrangements.