Covid 19 coronavirus: Jacidna Ardern hits back at Morrinsville College principal's stance over school openings

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has hit back at the principal of her old school after he took exception to the Government's plan to have children return to classrooms next week.

Morrinsville College principal John Inger criticised the decision to allow some students back to school next week, issuing a three-page newsletter telling parents their children can die from the virus and the Government has passed on child-minding duties to teachers.

In his letter, he wrote: "Children can contract Covid-19 and pass it on when asymptomatic, and they can die."

"Young people all over the world have been dying from Covid - they are just less likely to die than those of us who are adults, so do not think that your child could not die if they became infected," said Inger.

He said it was a "surprise" and a "concern" when Ardern announced some students would be able to return to school under alert level 3, believing some parents might send children back to school because they are a "pain in the neck" at home.

This afternoon Ardern responded, disagreeing with Inger's coments.

Ardern said Inger probably had her in mind when he made the comments.

She said her father was a police officer and her mother a teacher, both essential workers so she likely would have had to return to school.

INGER BELIEVES RETURNING TO SCHOOL COULD BE 'POTENTIAL DISASTER'

In his newsletter, Inger said around 30 of the school's staff, or people in their bubbles, would be at "high risk" if children returned.

"As things currently stand, it seems to me that Government wants to pass on to teachers all around the country the responsibility of child-minding, in our case Years 9 and 10
students, so that more parents can go back to their workplaces.

"This ignores the potential disaster that this could result in, with our schools possibly becoming incubators for the virus.

"The students who might return to school during level 3 will most likely be the children of essential workers, and apparently also those whose parents want to send their children back to school for some reason that they do not have to explain to their school, perhaps because their children are a 'pain in the neck' at home, although there could well of course be some other good reasons to do so.

"In the former case, these students are likely to be those who are most likely to bring
Covid-19 into our school because their parents are 'on the frontline' every day and so are more likely to be exposed to the virus and infect their children when they return to their bubble."

Inger said it was his "strong recommendation" to keep children at home. He believed they were being well served by online learning.

"I can tell you that if I still had my children at school, and for those of my Senior Leadership Team who still have their children at school, we would certainly not entertain the idea of putting them at risk by sending them back to school at this time."

Ardern attended Morrinsville College and the school's 1998 yearbook famously wrote that she was the most likely student to one day be Prime Minister.

Inger also wrote: "We have yet to hear how the ministry expects bus drivers to ensure that our bus students stay two metres apart on their buses. Nor do we know if buses will be able to run as normal, as many of the Greenline Motors drivers are aged over 70 and so are very much at risk and will be required to remain at home."

The Government has been moving to allay fears about fresh Covid-19 outbreaks when schools reopen next week by saying there is very little chance of anyone with the virus being on school grounds.