There are many reasons on both sides. I personally think that if they were at home they wouldn’t stay in their own yard, they’d go to their friends so they could have some fun. I can’t see a parent being able to keep a child at home all day for 14 days.

So hard. Pros and cons either way. But being a teacher (now on maternity leave) and my partner being a teacher I think about him and or family. Where is his protection, of children and some people don’t sore the symptoms who to say he won’t get it and then they aren’t reverting people who haven’t been overseas or come into contact with people overseas but how do we know?

It will be a ripple effect when school closes

we have our concerns with keeping them open especially if they dont show symptoms

So a child with a parent in the medical industry needs to be at school but that parent m if he get this virus as they are sourounded by I’ll ppl all the time, isn’t the risk higher of said child spreading this virus showing no symptoms and then in fact spread to another parent who has autoimmune diseases? I don’t know but couldn’t the community come together to help these parents who have to work by child minding, ive offered to look after kids while ppl have to work. I already have 4 of my own but I can easily look after others if it came to that. And as for education let the teachers in their classrooms and do digital classrooms. I know many parents may not be able to achieve this but alot can. And it may be better for older students who are doing their senior years. Our numbers are jumping and looking at Italy their number of deaths is over 600 for one night…. isn’t that enough to say ok we need to shut places up? Suspend home loans until people can go back to work, suspend bills or heavily discount. Help the community at large.

I believe schools should be closed ASAP. However there needs to be negotiation on both school and parental sides.
My reasoning for this is parents drop off and pick up.kids at the same time. To take drop.off as an example our school: parents take child to school walk into grounds and are required to sit and wait side by side with other parents and students. Once bell goes into class 25 kids and up to 10 or 15 parents all in1 classroom. Get kid settled and fight your way out. This can take 15 minutes or more. Sit and read with kids is also done then. There is no way at all to keep space between kids, parents (sometimes siblings)and staff. Classrooms are not big enough. Kids sit at desk side by side all day. Then at pick up time you can have 100 or more parents waiting for kids to come out. If kids are being picked up in the zone they sit shoulder to shoulder. Otherwise you have 100 or more parents plus 200 kids all wanting to greet each other. Not enough room for social distancing. You have parents who are immune suppressant, or susceptible mixing with health care providers who may have been exposed unknowingly allwaiting together. Kidswho can pass on the virus and my understanding is that some people can have the virus with almost no symptoms. Yet wice a dayparemts are putting themselves, the kids and others at risk.
When things like funerals and weddings are deemed to risky yet the kids spend more time at school and at least at a wedding or funeral you can move well away from others, yet school is still open.

Schools aren’t there to baby sit our children. Scott Morrison is always on the back foot when it comes to a crisis and this pandemic is no different. The schools that can including universities are making their own responsible decisions moving classes online. The UK is shutting schools down with exemptions for the children of parents who are essential workers. The last thing Scott Morrison wants is to close schools and have parents screaming they can’t work therefore need financial assistance from the public purse. Closing schools will be a financial disaster for some parents and the government will have to step in and provide support when the schools close, and they will close and no I don’t agree with the reasons they publicly state as to why they haven’t closed already.

I guess it’s parents decision wether they keep the kids home and home school them or if they send them to school. Personally I would be keeping my child home

As a teacher I think the time is coming when schools will close, but we’re not quite there yet.

As much as I don’t like Scott Morrison, I applaud him in this. We need schools to stay open. I’ve just started a new job and we don’t know what we’d do if that happened, plus the detriment to the kids and society as a whole. We need people to be able to work and we can’t do that if we have to mind kids. There’s also the fact that kids aren’t at risk. Just keep them home if they’re sick and everything will be fine.

This is a very tough call – I can see both the positives and negatives to keeping schools open ….

I agree that schools should stay open as much as possible.

I’m quite happy for my kids school to stay open. The school is taking great measurements to make sure the kids & teachers aren’t at risk, all large group activities have been cancelled (assemblies, fundraising events, sports events etc), they are really implementing good hygiene & the younger kids (kindy & pre primary) no longer share fruit but still bring in their own. Unfortunately my youngest Early Learning group for 3 yr olds got cancelled but that makes complete sense with doing so. I’m pretty happy with the way my kids school has conducted itself during this time & I feel there is no need to shut down the school. Some parents have chosen to withdraw their kids for the time being & that’s their decision. I also don’t have the resources if the school closes, to do schooling online.

Getting a bit ridiculous now! The gov are threatening to cut funding to any WA schools that shut! Meanwhile teachers are at a huge risk! My husband has weak lungs and is prone to broncular pneumonia as is my 4 year son. Some of the kids who have shown up to school have a cough. Yesterday my husband came home with the beginnings of a cough, and if he gets the virus he will sue! Another of his colleagues has an autoimmune disease so is also at great risk! Schools are full of teachers like this. Yesterday I needed an urgent appointment with my midwife, they wanted to do an ultrasound on the maternity ward, however, wouldn’t permit my children anywhere near there. It’s the digital age, kids can still learn from home! Close the schools. They have protocols in place for the kids of medical professionals, they will go to school and will be taught by a few select staff.

I have 2 teenage students. That attend a Victorian public school it has 2,500 students from prep-12. On Monday we received a letter telling us know that hand sanitizer stations will be in place and extra cleaning. I received a notice today they are not providing hand sanitizers because of the shortage and parents were to provide it and are providing some soap. They were staggering students breaks to 24 at a time. Know my husband and I want to pull them out. We don’t have a issue with our daughter she is year 8. But they have decided to do year 10 assessments and if our son doesn’t complete them he will fail. And must provide a valid medical certificate.. not happy

Yes I agree with the decision. With 2 kids in need of therapies I’m concerned about having to do without therapies for a longer period of time.

Its big decision.

It’s a tough choice but agree if this isnt under control in months time, we cannot just keep them home forever

This is very difficult; some other countries had school holidays during the worst of their crisis’, so they’re not a good comparison.

They should allow those who are able to keep kids home can keep them home. Those who need to work could still send kids to school. Reduce the kids at school and reduce the risk overall. And if the kids in other countries contracted corona at home and not at school think woukd it would be lije if a single kid in a class had it but came to school not knowing. They then give it to teacher and kids who thrn spread it to there.