Prioritise school re-openings in September 2020

Further response from Department of Education and Skills on 22 July at 08:49:

Dear Ms. Hurley,

Thank you for your correspondence to the Minister for Education, Ms. Norma Foley TD regarding the reopening of schools. I hope that you and your family are well at this very challenging time for all members of the school community.

The Department is engaging closely with education partners representing school management, school staff as well as parents and students and other key stakeholders in terms of planning for reopening schools as fully and safely as possible at the start of the new school year.
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On Wednesday 1 July 2020 Minister Foley welcomed the publication of interim public health advice from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) of the Health Services Executive (HSE) in relation to the reopening of schools. This interim health advice sets out the key public health requirements that will be required for the safe full reopening of schools and the measures that will be required to achieve this. The interim health advice contains important measures required for infection prevention and control to ensure a full return to school is safe for children and staff. Please see the following link to the HPSC publication for your information.

https://www.education.ie/en/covid-19/interim-recommendations-for-the-reopening-of-schools-and-educational-facilities.pdf
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The interim public health advice of the HPSC underpins the Department’s ongoing engagement with education partners and stakeholders in terms of planning and providing guidance for schools in relation to the logistical, curricular and wellbeing arrangements to be put in place to facilitate the safe reopening of schools. The guidance for schools will also outline the important measures required for infection prevention and control to ensure the return to school is safe for children and staff.

It is envisaged that the guidance for schools will be provided by the end of July in order to allow time for schools to implement the necessary arrangements locally.

The Department’s Covid-19 website page will be updated as new information becomes available so please check back from time to time.

Thank you again for your correspondence.

Yours sincerely;
Derek Newcombe
Private Secretary
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Response received on 14th July at 09:46 from the Office of Minister Hildegarde Naughton:

Dear Ms Hurley

I refer to your attached query which was received in the office of Minister Hildegarde Naughton.
Please note that this comes under the remit of the Department of Education.
You can contact them on the following e-mail [email protected]

Yours sincerely

Deirdre Essig
Office of Minister Hildegarde Naughton TD

Response received on 14th July at 09:56 from Department of Education and Skills:

Dear Ms. Hurley,

The Minister for Education, Ms. Norma Foley TD, has asked me to acknowledge your recent e-mail, the issues raised in relation to the re-opening of schools have been noted.

Yours sincerely,
Derek Newcombe
Private Secretary

The petition has now been delivered to Norma Foley, Eamon Ryan and Hildegarde Naughton. Thank you to everyone who has signed. Additional signatures are of course welcome and greatly appreciated. We must continue to show our support.

The petition will be delivered to Norma Foley, Eamon Ryan and Hildegarde Naughton at 13:00 tomorrow (09/07/2020). If you are yet to sign please do so or share it if you have already signed so we can get as many signatures as possible before then.