We all knew that reopening schools would be a challenge and keeping them open an even bigger one. For this to have any chance of working, the State should have spent the time since March building up the testing and contact and trace capacities within the HSE. #edchatie

On a call yesterday, a principal related how she had been informed by a father that he had tested +ve for Covid last Friday. He was part of a cluster of confirmed positive cases. He and his family were going into isolation. His children were referred for testing on Friday 18th.

The family has stayed in touch with the school. The children are due for testing this evening, 4 days after their father tested +ve. They attended school all of last week (during which time the father was feeling unwell). The results will be available Friday morning.

At which point, a week will have passed and should the children test +ve then there is an obvious concern for other families. The contact and trace will most likely not happen until Friday evening, one week after the confirmed +ve test by the father.

This is taking far too long and @Education_Ire, @HSELive & @roinnslainte need to do far more to work to put the systems and services in place to provide an adequate testing regime in place. Schools and parents need to have confidence in the system if we are to keep schools open.

As it happens, around 2/3 of the parents have responded to the known positives by withdrawing their children from the two classes - and note that these children are not entitled under current guidance to support in their education at home - although this is being provided.

. @Education_Ire have sought contact details for principals so as to be able to contact them at need 24/7; there is no similar service for schools to contact either the Department or the HSE. The HSE helpline phone rings out and it can take several hours to have a call answered.

The State had over 5 months to prepare for the reopening of schools. They failed to build up the support structures needed to keep them open and must do better. Their failure comes at the cost of public health, and is the cause of considerable stress to school communities.