The National Party’s plan to reopen schools immediately would put children and marginalised communities at risk, the Green Party says.

“Children’s health and wellbeing must be the top priority in any decision about when to reopen schools. National’s plan to reopen schools immediately, even before our most vulnerable communities are fully vaccinated, is hugely irresponsible,” says Green spokesperson for the COVID-19 Response Julie Anne Genter.

“Reopening schools needs to be as safe as possible, both for students and for staff. The best way to achieve this is to make sure schools have proper health plans in place before reopening and that high vaccination coverage is achieved for the most vulnerable groups. Families also need to be supported with what they need to keep their kids and local communities safe.

“National’s plan shows it does not care about the lives of our most at risk communities. Not only this, but they would be putting the health of our children at risk,” Julie Anne Genter says.

Green spokesperson for education Teanau Tuiono says: “Once again, National has a massive weakness when it comes to knowing what is best for our kids and their education. Helping students to re-engage in learning requires more than just tracking attendance and truancy, we have to consider the underlying drivers of students not going back to school.

“We know that low family incomes, housing instability, transport issues and health concerns all play a role in a child’s life and their ability to fully participate in learning. Addressing these serious concerns needs to be a core part of the Government’s plan for helping students back into learning. Yet again, National is silent on these issues.

“As things stand, our under 12s are unable to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their whānau, so the Government must ensure schools are as safe as possible before opening up again. This is a bottom line for the Green Party.

“To get schools ready to reopen, the Government needs invest in providing HEPA air purifiers and ventilation for classrooms, have health plans in place for all schools before reopening – including enhancing the role of outside learning – and ensure vaccinations in Māori and Pasifika communities are high enough for both teachers and students who are old enough.

“The Government also needs to invest in addressing the digital divide and support access to online learning tools for those students that cannot safely attend in person,” Teanau Tuiono says.

© Scoop Media