By Parker Mckenzie and Shelby Brooks
A Berwick principal feels his students returned from remote learning too soon after 18 students contracted Covid-19 since classroom learning resumed.
Berwick Lodge Primary School principal Henry Grossek is facing a wave of Covid infections which has seen 106 children currently in isolation.
The school was closed last week after a positive Covid case attended the premises.
Less than 60 per cent of the student body came to school when it reopened on Tuesday 26 October.
Mr Grossek told Star News that 43 per cent of parents didn’t send their kids to school.
“They are fearful of either their children catching Covid from another child or having to do 14 days isolation themselves,“ he said.
Those 105 students who were absent left the school with only 209 out of a possible 610 enrolled students in attendance.
“That is a worse outcome than remote learning, which for all its deficiencies was far more predictable,” Mr Grossek said.
“On any given day we could be shut down again, so my opinion is that remote learning, no matter how unpalatable it is right now, is a better option for primary schools in Melbourne.”
Mr Grossek said that the school was struggling with staff numbers because of close contacts needing to isolate.
“It’s led to a staffing shortage, we’ve had 37 teachers who are primary contacts too,” he said.
“There are 37 people who can’t work for either one or two weeks depending on their status and parents have to stay home with their kids who are self-isolating because they are in a household with a primary contact.”
Mr Grossek believes the number of students and teachers currently absent from the school will produce worse learning outcomes.
“It is also making it challenging because we need to provide home educational learning activities for some of the class while others can be at school, but we only have one teacher to do two jobs for each grade,” he said.
“Of course it will impact the consistency of what we are delivering to the children but there are other factors that are playing out in this that are quite serious as well.”
Mr Grossek is worried other schools will face the same issues in the future.
“Casey is in a very bad way in terms of the number of kids who are catching Covid,” he said.
“I’ve got 18 kids now who have caught Covid, and while none of them are seriously ill there are so many outcomes that are surely worse than remote learning.”
According to the Department of Health, Berwick Fields Primary School has also been named a key outbreak site, with 13 active cases linked to it.
The school was contacted for comment.
Fleetwood Primary School, Fountain Gate Primary School and Hillsmeade Primary School in Narre Warren are all closed.
