Photo Jeff ‘School’s back, baby’ Dawson
With students having returned to school Tuesday, teachers and students are required to test for COVID-19 twice weekly. As part of the measures by the NSW Govenment, both parents/carers and teachers will be provided with free rapid antigen tests (RATs).
Yet unions are claiming that NSW school cleaners have been excluded from COVID-19 testing.
The United Workers Union, The Parenthood and the NSW Teachers Federation are calling on Liberal Premier Dominic Perrottet to include them in the scheme.
They said in a statement, ‘In other jurisdictions, such as the ACT where cleaning is not contracted out and cleaners are directly employed, they are included in the return to school plans and will be provided with RATs’.
Lyndal Ryan, United Workers Union Property Services director, described it as ‘disrespectful’ given cleaners are an integral part of a school community.
Ms Ryan says, ‘They’ve been on the frontline of this pandemic, keeping schools open so other frontline workers can continue to do their essential jobs’.
Meanwhile, NSW Liberal Premier Dominic Perrottet has announced vouchers worth $500 for before- and after-school care.
NSW minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said, ‘Every family with children at a NSW primary school is eligible for one voucher per child, which will provide each child with approximately 60 sessions of free before- and after-school care (BASC)’.
She says it will be delivered through Service NSW, and will follow a similar premise to the current Dine and Discover vouchers.
The government say parents will be able to apply for, and utilise, the vouchers from February 28 by applying ‘online via a MyServiceNSW account, in the app, or by visiting their nearest Service Centre’.
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